Brotherhood
by Ravinesque
Summary: Robin and Beast Boy have never been very close, but after they become stranded in an unknown land with no way of reaching anyone, they must learn to survive together. When enemies arise, the two boys begin to learn what it means to be...a brother.
1. Separation

The T-Ship was in very bad shape.

The Titans had been chasing the mysterious, black, jet-like aircraft for several thousand miles – five minutes ago they had even began to fly over the Pacific Ocean, still in pursuit. But now it seemed the jet had called in some 'friends,' with what seemed like unlimited ammunition. The squadron of black jets wouldn't let up their continuous fire, and it was causing the T-Ship to suffer awfully. The windshield of Robin's cockpit was cracked all over, and Cyborg could feel the main engines taking on a lot of damage.

"I am so _sick_ of being shot at!" shrieked Cyborg in fury, desperately trying to repair whatever was in reach.

Raven turned down her speakers in reply to Cyborg's outburst. "Who are they, anyway?" she mused. "What do they want?"

"Their leader attacked our city," Robin growled. "That's enough for me."

"It's not like he caused much damage," Raven countered.

"Damage or no, his motive was clear. We protect our city, so we'll make sure he'll never do it again by bringing him - and his friends - down." Robin's reply was curt.

"Dude, I dunno if you've noticed but..." Beast Boy gestured at the surrounding jets firing at them. "We're kinda getting our butts kicked." The following silence from Robin's mic told Beast Boy he was being ignored. The changeling sighed and added, "But uh...I'm sure we'll win...eventually."

Any further arguments were stalled by Starfire's shocked gasp. "Oh, no!" she cried. "I just saw the emblem on the wing. These are Tellurian crafts!"

"Tell-her-what?"

"Tellurians are an alien race that has superior technological knowledge to all the planets in my system," explained Starfire worriedly.

"But we've been to your planet," said Cyborg. "No offense, but you guys aren't exactly high-tech."

"Starfire!" Robin called through the mic. "Have you fought them before? Do they have any weak spots?"

Everyone grabbed their seat as the T-Ship shook wildly from another onslaught. Starfire continued in a small voice. "Yes, we have fought them...but...we never won." As she said it, each of the Titans turned to face her, and she grimaced. "The people of Telluria usually keep to themselves unless they wish to obtain more specimens. They are a curious race, but not very polite."

"More...specimens?" Beast Boy gulped audibly. "Like...with probes and stuff?"

"Wait, look!" Robin pointed. The Titans watched as the alien squadron slowed down and began closing in on each other.

"What are they doing?"

"I...I do not know."

"Cyborg, what are you waiting for?" Robin yelled. "Fire!"

"I'm trying, man!" Cyborg yelled back at him, causing the other Titans to wince at the noise. "The controls aren't working; the blasters must be too damaged."

"What about the auxiliary lasers?" Robin snapped. "Hurry up and do _something!"_

"Dude, calm down!" Beast Boy cut in angrily. "He's doing the best he can!"

"I know we can do better." Robin began unbuckling himself.

"Dude, what...what are you doing? Are you _nuts?"_ The changeling plastered his face and hands against the canopy, watching helplessly as Robin readied to jump ship.

"Robin, we're going too fast for you to pull one of your stupid stunts," Cyborg shouted into the mic. "Don't open the canopy!"

"I'm not-" Robin began, but couldn't finish, as the crowding aircrafts sent one last combined assault straight into the face of the T-Ship. The force of the alien rocket surged right through the underbelly of the ship and straight out the other side. Robin's section of the ship burst from the main body.

CRASH! As soon as it was separated, the reverberation of the rocket caused Robin's canopy to fly straight off, leaving the Titan's leader to the mercy of the open sky while still travelling hundreds of miles an hour. Reacting instantly, Robin sunk as low as he could into the cockpit and shot his most powerful grappling hook at the hulking craft right in front of them, hoping to detonate the birdarang when it made contact. There was no way the birdarang would have made it if it weren't for the jet itself – its fuselage literally _opened up_ and began connecting itself to the surrounding jets, at the same time forming a magnetic force. The birdarang sunk into the craft's lower body.

Robin didn't even have time to let go of the grappling hook's handle, and felt his arm yank itself out of its socket as he was sucked violently after the alien jet. The Titans barely saw any of what was happening, as the T-Ship itself had begun to fall apart.

"Hold on guys, I'm going to land it!" Cyborg cried, but it was too late. The damage caused by the rocket, coupled with the ferocious wind and friction, caused the escape chute in Beast Boy's section to break apart. The changeling was immediately sucked right out of the ship.

It all happened so fast, Beast Boy couldn't even tell what was happening. He fell diagonally several feet before feeling something sharp and painful latch onto his right ankle. "Yeow!" he cried, but it was lost in the wind. Next thing he knew, whatever had grabbed his ankle was now trying to rip it off his leg altogether. Concentrating as hard as he could, he summoned his strength to transform into a woolly mammoth, adding over fifteen thousand pounds to his original bodyweight.

First he heard a loud creaking sound, then a massive explosion. Suddenly, he was hurtling toward the water below, blacking out as it rushed to meet him...

* * * *

It's about time I wrote another story, so here you go. I hope this will live up to my own standards, let alone all of yours. ^_^ Please read and review, and I will update as soon as possible.


	2. Survivors

When Beast Boy finally opened his eyes, he was surprised to find himself in the form of a dolphin. During his unconsciousness, his mind must have triggered the transformation in order to help him survive. Just how long had he been out? He clicked happily at finding himself free of injuries, but then he remembered...

The T-Ship, damaged.

Alien jets, firing.

Robin, disappearing.

And now...where was he? Where was everyone _else?_ He streaked up to the surface and broke it with a magnificent jump, surveying the surrounding waters as flew through the air. A squall was ripping across the water, creating huge waves. The surface was far too turbulent to search.

Beast Boy ploughed back down through the thick water, searching desperately for remains of the T-Ship or his friends. _Please be okay_, he thought. _Please be safe_. As he swam, thinking he was moving slowly because he was tired, he suddenly surged forward as if he'd lost a lot of weight.

"Huh?" he clicked. Beast Boy turned around and saw the cable tied around his fluke. He recognised it instantly: _Robin_. In horror, Beast Boy swam back the way he had come, following the floating cable until it ended in a handgrip. "No!" he clicked loudly. He began clicking in all directions, attempting to use sonar to find Robin.

There! He found something! The changeling swam towards the object, praying desperately his leader was okay. When his nose touched it, his heart sunk. It was Robin's utility belt. He picked it up in his teeth and kept on swimming, hopes dying quickly. He'd found two traces of Robin, but none of anyone else. Maybe the T-Ship was okay after all...maybe Raven, Starfire and Cyborg hadn't crashed into the ocean. Maybe they were safe...maybe they weren't.

He began to notice a strange scent lingering in the water, and transformed into a tiger shark to smell it. When he recognised it, his eyes widened. Blood...human blood. It had to be Robin. He followed the scent until he began to notice small traces of brown floating in the water. He swam faster. _Oh no...oh no...oh no..._

Then he saw him; Robin was floating like a doll in the water above, drifting as the squall above forced the waves about. As Beast Boy approached, however, he smelled something else, and turned around to see – to his utter horror – more sharks. Big ones. Hungry ones. They could have smelled blood a mile away.

"Guys, leave him alone!" he cried out in his odd shark language. They ignored him, and began surging towards his fallen comrade, teeth at the ready. Beast Boy's mind was a jumble of fears, and he tried to remember what sharks were afraid of. Dolphins? No...five sharks against one dolphin was suicide. A whale, maybe? No, they'd just ignore him...and he'd be far too big to help Robin.

Hang on..._whale_...

Beast Boy felt himself transform into a huge orca, and instantly began pushing at Robin's limp body, forcing the unconscious leader to the surface. The sharks quailed under the changeling's new form, but they decided they were hungry enough to risk it.

Before they reached their target, Beast Boy's muscular fluke smashed into the vanguard. Within milliseconds the changeling had dropped Robin's belt and was overcome by the predator's instincts, attacking the sharks with vigour. He couldn't help it; he couldn't let anything hurt his friend.

It didn't take long for the sharks to get the message. They swam away – one of them taking Robin's belt – and were soon out of sight. Beast Boy finally managed to break the surface with Robin upon his head, and searched the skies for a sign. As if answering his silent pleas, several birds flying in a V formation flew above, heading what he instinctively knew as northwest. In this weather, they could only be seeking shelter, and he decided to follow, keeping the limp Titan draped across his crown.

When he'd finally dragged himself and Robin beyond the tide line, Beast Boy was desperate to lie down and let sleep take over. He had no idea how long he'd been travelling...five minutes? Five hours? All he knew was that he was tired, and needed rest.

"No, BB," he sighed to himself. "Robin needs help." He turned to Robin, who was lying face up in the sand, eyes closed. The leader's face was as white as a sheet, and it appeared he wasn't breathing. "Oh, man..." moaned Beast Boy. He put his pointy ear to the leader's chest and listened. There was definitely a heartbeat, but how to revive him? "Robin, what do I do?" he cried. "You might get hypotheem...hypo...you could get sick. And I don't know how to do CPR. I never learnt. Robin, please just _wake up!"_ He shook the limp body hopelessly. He needed _Robin_ to help him revive Robin. Was this the 'irony' thing that Raven had been explaining?

He tried to think; how did they do CPR on TV? Was mouth-to-mouth necessary? Beast Boy looked nervously at Robin's mouth. "Urrgh," he gagged. Well, what else could he do? Maybe he should try to pump water out or something. How did they do that? Something like...Beast Boy pounded his fist into what he guessed would be the right area.

Nothing happened.

"Sorry, Robin," he whispered. "I can't think of anything else." He began pounding Robin's chest repetitively, and with each _thud_ hoping that Robin would react somehow. _Please. Please. Please._

Yet again, his prayers were answered. Robin thrashed his arms and began coughing forcefully. The changeling, heart lifting once more, helped his leader sit up to cough more thoroughly. At first it was just water, but then Robin began vomiting, making Beast Boy start to worry again. "Robin?" he asked tentatively. "Erm...are you okay?"

Robin stopped vomiting and began spitting out the remains. "Fire," he gasped. "Find shelter. Make fire." And with that, he passed out again, leaving Beast Boy alone with all of his questions.

To his surprise, Beast Boy _did_ actually manage to make a good fire. The beach they'd landed on was on the edge of a jungle-like wood, and not only had he managed to find a convenient dug-out cave, but he had also created a fire using the age-old method of rubbing sticks. He pulled Robin closer to the warmth of it, wondering if he should find something blanket-like to cover him with. Robin's soaking uniform wasn't helping with the heat at all.

Beast Boy was born to survive, as he had the instincts of millions of animals within him. However, he'd never really been put in a situation where he had to rely so much on them. As well as this, he had to care for a human companion – someone who _couldn't_ transform against the elements. It was weird to admit it, but it somehow felt satisfying.

His idea for gathering blanket-like items was crushed when he heard the pitter-patter of raindrops. "Oh, no!" Beast Boy transformed into a Labrador and bounded outside to gather as much wood as he could before it got wet. Who knew where they were, and how long the rain would last in this place? He couldn't even see the sky from beneath the thick treetops.

When the rain began to pour, Beast Boy returned and added his last addition to the pile of firewood, before shaking himself off as far away from the fire as he could. Overcome with fatigue, he finally curled up next to Robin and yawned widely, before closing his eyes and instantly falling asleep.

xxxx

The first thing Robin noticed was the pain in his upper arm and shoulder, and then a sharper pain in his left leg. Not a welcoming wake-up call. "Ohhh..." he groaned, beginning to get up. His broken arm screamed silently in agony, and his leg began feeling hot. Robin twisted his neck around to view whatever was plaguing his leg.

There was a long gash that went from his ankle to the top of his calf muscle. Not wide, but deep, and extremely painful. His attempt at getting up had forced more blood to start pouring out of the already-clean wound. Robin reached to grab his bleeding leg, but moaned in pain and fell back down.

His second cry woke Beast Boy. The changeling's eyes widened at his leader's wound, but he dutifully rolled Robin back into the recovery position and clamped his gloved hands down upon the leader's open leg.

"Beast Boy," Robin gasped. "What happened? Where are we?"

Beast Boy was silently cursing himself for forgetting about Robin's injuries. His leader could have bled to_ death_ while he slept! Nervously, he answered, "I don't know, dude. I just remember waking up in the ocean. I mean, first I found you and then I had to fight off some sharks and then I had to carry you to land and then I had to drag you all the way in here and then I had to-"

"You fought off sharks?" Robin interrupted, sounding impressed. Beast Boy puffed out his chest.

"They smelled your blood, but I wasn't gonna let any dumb shark eat you!"

"If I've been bleeding since we were in the water...WHY THE HECK DIDN'T YOU BANDAGE MY LEG!" Robin shouted angrily.

"I...I..." he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse instead of 'I forgot.' "Well, the water washed it, and salt water is good for wounds, right?"

"It doesn't heal them," snapped Robin, still frowning.

"Well...I mean, what am I supposed to bandage it with? Your indestructible cape? Speaking of which – you lost it in the ocean, along with your belt."

"It doesn't matter. And I _do_ wear other things than just a cape." Robin's voice lost its edge and grew tired. "Just rip the fabric off the rest of that leg and tie it tightly around the wound."

Beast Boy obeyed, feeling chastised. Of all the Titans he could have been lost with, it just _had_ to be Robin; the self-centred, controlling jerk. Just great.

xxxx

"So, that's all you remember? Waking up in the water?" Robin was still lying on his side by the fire, healing slowly. His leg and upper arm were bandaged now, the latter with a thin, broken branch which was being used as a splint.

"Yea, pretty much." Beast Boy made circles in the dirt with a twig. He was still annoyed at Robin for being so harsh.

"Nothing else? Did you see where the alien ship went?"

"I already said no!" Beast Boy hissed, gritting his teeth and still staring at the dirt.

"What about the T-Ship?"

"Look, Robin," Beast Boy suddenly stood up. "I already said I don't remember anything else! I'm sorry I don't know where the jets went, and I'm sorry I don't know where the rest of the team is! I'm sorry for being so...so..._useless!"_ He yelled the last word and kicked dirt into the fire.

There was a long silence, in which Beast Boy immediately regretted what he'd said. He opened his mouth to apologise, but Robin beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy."

"I...what?" The changeling sat down again and scratched his ear, thinking he'd heard wrong.

"I said I'm sorry," Robin mumbled. "You aren't useless. You've done so much while I've done nothing. You fought off sharks, you dragged me across land and sea – who knows how far – and you've taken care of my injuries. You're really helpful...so...thanks." It almost sounded like an effort for him to say. But Beast Boy was touched, and he grinned happily at his leader.

"Anytime, Robin." The two boys smiled at each other earnestly before looking away, embarrassed. Several silent minutes passed by, before Robin spoke again.

"I do remember being dragged after the ship. That's why my arm is broken, I guess. When I saw you fall, I shot another grappling hook at you, and caught you by the ankle."

"Yea...I remember _that."_ Beast Boy rubbed his ankle, glad it hadn't ended up like Robin's arm. "Then it hurt real bad."

"The jet merged with the other jets and fired all of its exhausts at once," Robin explained. "So it began travelling _a lot_ faster; at least Mach 1 for sure. Then the birdarang was unhooked and we fell."

"So for about a second we were moving at supersonic speed?"

"Less than a second, I think."

"...cool." Beast Boy couldn't help but grin.

Robin was about to retort, but held it back. "I suppose," he murmured. "But now...well, neither of us have our communicators, and we don't know where the others are."

"Dude, we don't even know where _we_ are." Beast Boy folded his arms and stared into the fire. "I mean, we were over the ocean for who knows how long...and I don't even remember how long it took for me to find that beach, or even how fast I was going. We're totally lost."

"You don't sound too worried," chuckled Robin.

"Hellooo? Remember, I'm Beast Boy. I was born to live wild."

This caused Robin to laugh harder. "Live wild? You watch TV all day; refuse to go to the bathroom unless its indoor plumbing and you eat store-bought tofu. You're wild, alright."

Beast Boy pouted. "Come on, I made a fire didn't I? _Without_ a lighter or matches!"

"Congrats, Beast Boy." Robin was still chuckling. "I guess I do owe you for that."

The changeling's eyes narrowed slightly. "So you're not...I mean...you aren't like, angry at me anymore?"

"I wasn't angry, Beast Boy," Robin replied, tone softening. "I guess I'm just worried."

Beast Boy, genuinely happy now that he knew Robin wasn't angry at him, perked up even more. "Well, never fear, Robin! As soon as the rain stops, I'll get us both out of here and back to civilisation in no time."

Robin wasn't stupid; he knew Beast Boy was just trying to lift both of their spirits. They could be miles and miles from anyplace that could treat him professionally. Instead of raining on the changeling's parade however, he smiled again, hiding the doubt in his eyes.

"Thanks, Beast Boy. I guess I'll leave it to you."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up. "Wow, does this mean I'm temporary leader?"

"Er, leader of _what, _exactly?"

Instead of answering him, Beast Boy cocked one ear towards the cave entrance. "Wait here," he said to Robin, and crept out into the rain, transforming into a wolf as he did.

"I don't think I'll be going anywhere," muttered Robin. He heard a wolf howl – Beast Boy? Why would that idiot start howling in unknown territory? Who knew what creatures lay in the woods beyond the cave.

His questions were answered when the changeling bounded back inside, soaking wet, as a human. "Come on," he said hurriedly. "There are wolves everywhere, and they can smell you."

"Can't you scare them off? You know, like what you did with the sharks?"

"No," Beast Boy's voice was grave."There were only five stupid sharks. Now, there are two whole packs of intelligent, ruthless hunters."

As the changeling began dousing the fire, Robin could hear them too; bone-chilling howls. They sounded hungry.


	3. Argument

The terrain was quite mountainous, Robin now realised. It was quite dark now, and he couldn't even see the beach from here. The smell of brine had mostly faded – probably only lingering because of his sea-washed uniform. He was in the arms of Beast Boy's gargantuan bigfoot form, which had carefully carried him through the thick woods and was now beginning to tire as the ground sloped more and more. The hour-long journey was silent, as Beast Boy was still trying to rescue them both from the many surrounding wolves.

Robin could hear Beast Boy's heart throbbing fast, and he privately vowed he'd never force this on the changeling again. He felt so useless; unable to stand, let alone walk, and his arm was broken too. Beast Boy shouldn't have to carry him all this way. The changeling wasn't used to this sort of exertion...it should be _himself_ carrying his green friend. _He_ was the leader; he should be the one standing and fighting, instead of lying uselessly in the arms of a sasquatch.

"Beast Boy," he whispered. "Stop."

The green sasquatch dutifully paused in its tracks and placed Robin with his back against a rock, before resuming human form.

"What's up, dude? You okay?"

"Leg stings, but that's not the problem. Beast Boy, you're panting hard. You need to take a break."

The changeling scoffed. "Are you kidding? This is nothing. I'm fine!"

"You're sweating like crazy, and it's _freezing_ out here."

"Robin, the wolves-"

"-aren't attacking. Not at the moment. Just sit and rest a bit."

"Sure?"

"Of course I'm s-"

Splat! Beast Boy collapsed without another word and began snoring with his face against the rocky ground. Robin stared at his comrade and continued to rag himself for failing to be a better leader. Everything was left to Beast Boy, when it should be left to him! And what about the other Titans? Were they okay? Had they survived? As far as he knew, the T-Ship had still been airborne when the alien ship blasted away with himself and the changeling in tow. Chances were that Cyborg had indeed managed to save himself and the girls...but there was no way to be sure. They could still be in the ocean for all he knew. Several minutes passed, and Beast Boy continued to sleep peacefully. Robin watched him, his mind swirling with worries.

_Awoooooooooow._ Robin's head snapped around and he stared back down the slope at the woods. That howl had been very close. Far too close. Were the wolves still following them? He reached absent-mindedly for some smoke bombs, and then remembered his belt was gone.

_Awoooow._ It was a different wolf, further away; probably answering the first one. Robin reached out to Beast Boy and tried to tap his friend's hand, but only succeeded in making his leg throb in pain. Not wanting to speak out loud, he grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it over the changeling's face.

"Ahh..." Beast Boy's face screwed up. "Ahhh...ahhh..." His nostrils flared.

"Beast Boy!" Robin hissed as quietly as he could.

"Ahhhh...!" Beast Boy suddenly transformed into a mouse. _"...chu!"_

Robin sighed, but his relief was short-lived - another howl echoed across the sloping terrain.

"Beast Boy," he whispered. "What are they saying?"

The mouse morphed into a large wolf, and pricked up its ears, listening to the howls, before changing back into Beast Boy.

"They can still smell you," he said. "We better go." The changeling looked at Robin expectantly.

"Yes," Robin agreed. "Let's go."

Beast Boy resumed his bigfoot form, picked Robin up carefully and began bounding up the steep ground once again.

It was about half an hour later that Beast Boy collapsed again from exhaustion; this time without placing Robin down first. Thud! Robin was crushed beneath the weight of the furry monster, and it took every ounce of concentration he had not to cry out from the pain. His broken arm was squashed completely beneath Beast Boy's body.

Thankfully, Beast Boy resumed human form soon after and weakly pushed himself off of Robin. "Sorry," he gasped. "My legs hurt...and my feet...and my everything..."

"That's...'kay..." Robin hissed through gritted teeth. He managed to take his mind off the pain by running through possible strategies in his head. Could they hide somewhere close by? Perhaps a fence of fire would keep the wolves away, but who knew how long it would take Beast Boy to make one? The first fire was probably just a fluke. He could barely get up, and Beast Boy was far too tired to continue up the mountain. What could they do?

"Robin?" Beast Boy puffed.

"What?"

"You know, if I carried less weight, I'd have more energy."

Robin looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Are you suggesting I chop off my leg and arm?"

"What...? Ew, no way, dude!"

"Then what are you getting at?"

"Well, if I change into something small..." The changeling's voice trailed off, almost as if he was afraid to continue.

"Just say it, Beast Boy."

"I could lead them away."

After an awkward silence, Robin had to force himself not to shout. _"What?"_ he hissed angrily. "Are you _crazy?"_

"What else can we do?" Beast Boy argued. "We're stuck in the middle of nowhere. You're injured, and I'm tired. It's a good plan!"

"It's a _bad plan!"_ Robin countered. "Like you said, this is the middle of nowhere. To separate is the _worst_ thing we could possibly do. And you're going to be bait for a bunch of ruthless wolves? What the heck is wrong with you, Beast Boy? That's the worst idea you've _ever _had."

"Have you got a better idea?"

"No-"

"Well then-"

"Beast Boy!" Robin raised his voice in anger. "You're not going to do it. I won't let you!"

"Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you can boss me around!"

"I'm not bossing you around," Robin growled. "I'm stopping you from making a bad choice!"

"It's the only choice!"

"You don't know that! And stop yelling!"

"Me? _You_ started it!"

Robin's hand curled into a fist and he smashed it onto the rock beside him in fury. "Stop it! Just stop it, Beast Boy! I can't _believe_ how childish you're being."

"Oh, so you can't handle insubordination?" Beast Boy shot back.

"Do you even know what that means?"

Beast Boy stood up, towering over Robin since the leader was still on his back in the dirt. "Dude, I'm not as stupid as you think I am! I know you think I'm immature and useless, but you're wrong! I can do this, and you just don't trust me!"

"Beast Boy, I don't think-"

"I'm going to prove it! I'll prove to you that I'm capable of way more than you think I am. I'll show you, just you wait!"

"No, don't-" Before Robin could say anything more however, Beast Boy transformed into a weasel and scampered off into the darkness.

If there was one thing Robin hated more than anything, it was sitting still and helpless, while struggling through mixed emotions. He was _furious_ at Beast Boy for running off, but simultaneously worried for his teammate. He wasn't exactly Beast Boy's closest friend, but he knew the changeling's strengths and weaknesses, which was enough for him to know that he needed to go and stop Beast Boy _right now._

But how? He could barely move. His left leg had a gash ready to split open at any moment, so he couldn't even crawl, let alone run. And even if he managed to get to Beast Boy without bleeding to death, what then? He couldn't fight with a useless leg and a busted right arm.

"Idiot!" he spat, hoping it would help him vent. "Stupid, green idiot!" Robin only succeeded in making himself feel worse. He knew Beast Boy was feeling hurt, but why couldn't the _idiot_ see that what he was doing was absolutely ridiculous? Suicide, even. "I'm going to kill him!" Well...if Beast boy returned, that is.

With his back against a rock, Robin looked down the mountainside, searching for any sign of movement, whether it be Beast Boy or some other creature. It was quite hard to see anything because of the dark of the night. The moon was only a sliver of light and wasn't even bright enough to cast shadows. Nevertheless, Robin's eyes raked the rocks and dirt below, desperate for a sign.

xxxx

"Stupid...stuck up...controlling...thinks-I-can't-do-anything...jerk!" The changeling slashed a half-morphed tiger paw into a tree, creating deep gashes in the bark. "I'll show him...I'll show him I'm better than he thinks!" He slashed at another tree, sending bark fragments flying. "...doesn't even trust me to save him from a bunch of..." Another slash. "...the fact that I can change into any animal doesn't seem to be good enough..." Slash. Slash.

_Awoooooow._ The changeling stopped muttering and dived behind one of the trees. _Awooow. _They'd heard him attacking the trees; they were closing in. Beast Boy transformed into a stag and shook himself, getting ready for a long run. Now that he was a lighter animal, he could feel his strength returning twice as fast as it did when he was the beast carrying Robin. In fact, he was rather looking forward to this. He sniffed the gentle wind. Nothing yet; they must still be closing in. Maybe he should get going.

No...he was going to _prove_ that he could take risks. He'd wait until the last second...and then boom! Run like heck. Robin might get angry, but he'd be impressed. Beast Boy just knew it, and he smiled inwardly. Just you wait, Robin. Just you wait.

After entering a thicket, he turned to scratch his haunch with his antler, and saw to his horror the glimmer of an eye beneath one of the surrounding bushes. Oh..._no_... All of his energy burst out at once, and he sped out of the thicket and across the border of the woods. His deer instincts were screaming at him: _You idiot! You idiot! You were upwind! Run, run, run!_

With a ferocious snarl, the wolf leapt right after him, flanked by three others. Beast Boy ran as fast as he could, legs moving so fast he almost tripped over them. _Oh man...oh man...faster, faster!_ They would kill him in less than a second if they caught up to him. He wondered if they would continue chasing him if he transformed again. Beast Boy chanced a look behind him, and screamed in terror, though it came out as a strangled bleat.

There were at least seven of them now, and less than three metres behind him. Beast Boy instantly morphed into a cheetah and doubled his speed, the fear controlling his actions rather than himself. Without another backward glance, he sprinted faster than he ever had before, desperate to escape the pursuing murderers.

Beast Boy had faced some terrifying monsters in his time as a superhero, but strangely, right now - he'd never been so scared in his entire life. In time, his paws grew numb from the rocky terrain, but he didn't dare stop until he couldn't run anymore. Beast Boy hadn't planned on a life-or-death chase like this, and he had no idea how long he ran, but fear kept driving him forward.

Finally, he decided he could run no more. He slowed down and peered behind him; no wolves. Nothing. He was safe. Safe! He wasn't going to be eaten. His plan had worked, if in a round-about, freakishly terrifying way.

"Time to...get back...to Robin," Beast Boy panted. "Just...as soon as I...rest a bit..."

xxxx

An hour passed, then two. Robin silently cursed. What was taking Beast Boy so long? Surely he would have called out or something to tell Robin if he was in trouble. The wind had been slowly growing, and Robin was absolutely freezing. He'd curled into a ball as much as possible, with his left leg sticking out awkwardly, but it wasn't enough. His uniform was designed for combat, not survival in bitter climates. If the wolves didn't get him, the temperature would.

The wind had changed direction though, and he was pretty sure he was downwind now, which meant the chances of the wolves finding him now were very low. Also, his leg wound was already beginning to heal nicely. It had been a clean cut, so his skin was rapidly repairing the damaged tissue. The cold had numbed the pain, but that meant he was losing feeling...and that was very, very bad. He couldn't imagine the situation getting any worse.

While fretting over his problems, Robin suddenly heard a soft scratching sound. He raised his head and saw – to his utter relief – a green owl perched on the rock above him.

"Thank god," Robin murmured through chattering teeth.

The owl transformed into a polar bear and flopped onto the ground beside Robin, seemingly devoid of any more energy. Beast Boy was instantly asleep. Robin rolled into the shaggy green fur and followed suit, able to sleep soundly now that his friend was back safely.

When Robin woke, he wasn't surprised to find his shoes covered in tiny ice crystals. It was still very cold, but the wind had died down, and the sun was trying to melt the frosty ground. Best of all, they were completely _uneaten_. How long had they slept? It hadn't exactly been night for very long before he fell asleep, and now the sun was getting quite high.

Though he was loathe to leave the comfort of Beast Boy's giant, furry form, Robin pulled away and forced himself up into a sitting position. Surprised he hadn't felt any pain in his leg, he checked the wound and smiled – the wound was healing abnormally fast. Robin used the nearby rock to hoist himself up onto his feet without putting weight onto his left side and then duly began testing his leg. It was still very injured, but the pain was gone completely.

Beast Boy must have felt Robin leave his side, because he yawned widely and then changed back into human form. The two boys didn't make any eye contact as they both stretched and brushed the frost out of their hair. The silence was oddly deafening.

At last, Robin picked up the courage to ask, "Are you okay?"

Beast Boy had been expecting a lecture, or some sort of interrogation. Hearing the honest concern in Robin's voice surprised him, so he replied uncertainly. "...what?"

"Are you okay?" Robin repeated, sitting down upon the rock. "Did you get hurt?"

"You...you..." Beast Boy was astounded. "I mean...um...yea, I'm okay."

"That's good." Robin sounded a little awkward. "I mean...I'm glad you weren't hurt."

"Thanks..." Beast Boy murmured, still a little stunned. "For asking, I mean."

Another silence ensued, and both boys looked away, embarrassed. Robin eventually broke it by asking, "So, er...do I want to know what happened?"

Beast Boy swallowed hard, but found himself grinning. "Those wolves won't bother us anymore."

"Cool," was the reply.

Before another awkward silence began, Beast Boy blurted, "I saw a railway line!"

"Huh? Where?"

"While I was flying back here I saw it. It's over that-a-ways." The changeling pointed north, and Robin eye's followed. They'd have to travel along the mountain ridge, it seemed. Robin turned back to his friend and looked a little sheepish.

"I still can't walk."

"That's okay, I'm not so tired anymore," said Beast Boy. "I can fly us both over the ridge to the railway. Then we'll just follow 'em until we find a town or something."

Robin found that he was smiling back at the changeling, heart lifting now that they had a hope of getting somewhere. "You know," he said. "That sounds like a _good_ plan."

"R-really?" Beast Boy's eyes were shining with gratitude.

"Really. Well done, Beast Boy."

Before Robin could see his elation, the changeling transformed into a pterodactyl and gently picked up his leader in his talons. He then began flapping manically and soared right over the ridge, feeling incredibly proud of himself.


	4. Stowaways

A/N: Thank you again for the reviews, and special thanks to IzumiTheMoogle for her wonderful words! They really mean a lot, and it's because I get nice reviews like hers that I update as fast as I can, so...here you go!

They'd been following the railway line northwest for hours, and Beast Boy was starting to feel tired again. He was in the form of a green horse, with Robin on his back. The weight and the cold atmosphere were making him feel even more sleepy than usual, and he let Robin know by nickering softly.

"Tired?"

Beast Boy nodded, and knelt forwards as far as he could, so Robin could slip off without jumping. The Titan leader couldn't help but feel joyous when he found that standing on his left leg was not only painless, but devoid of pressure, which meant the wound probably wouldn't reopen anymore. The skin on top had sewed itself back together.

Beast Boy transformed back into human form and sat on one of the rails, sighing as he did. "This place is pretty cold."

"We must be further north than I thought," Robin replied, sitting opposite the changeling. "At least this place has a train. That means we aren't on some remote island."

"So...are we in Alaska or something?" Beast Boy pictured a map of the world in his head, and attempted to plot their location on it.

"To be honest, Beast Boy, I really don't know."

"Well, I hope it is. They speak English there, right?"

"Alaska is one of the fifty states, you realise. It's part of America," said Robin, smiling.

"So is Tennessee, but they don't speak English," Beast Boy muttered.

Robin chuckled. "Nice one."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Huh? That wasn't a joke."

"Well, either way, it was funny."

The changeling sat up straighter and grinned. "I know a better one!"

Robin's smile faded. "Oh, really?" he said weakly.

"Yea! Why did the chicken-"

"Wait!" Robin interrupted, holding up his hand. "Can you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Beast Boy, a little miffed that he couldn't finish his joke.

Robin stood up and looked around. "I don't know."

Beast Boy transformed into a wildcat and cocked his giant, pointy ears. He instantly recognised the signature chuff-chuff of a locomotive engine. His feline instincts told him it was a little over a kilometre away...and coming. He changed back into himself and pointed at the tracks back the way they had come. "Train," he said simply.

"How fast?" asked Robin.

"Pretty fast."

"Think we could catch a ride?"

"You're asking me?" Beast Boy was incredulous. "You're asking for _my_ opinion?"

"Yes," Robin replied, looking confused. "You're the only one who could manage it." He pointed in turn to his arm and then to his beltless waist.

"Well, sure I can jump on it," Beast Boy looked Robin up and down. "But what about you? Whatever I do, you'll be hurt..._again."_

"I don't care about my arm; it can't be broken _again._ If you help me get close enough, I can handle it."

Beast Boy had no doubt that Robin could "handle it," after all, he was _Robin._ Robin could jump off a cliff in the middle of nowhere and somehow still survive. It was very rare to see Robin as injured as he was now, especially since he was relying on Beast Boy to look after him. For some reason, Beast Boy had just taken it in his stride, but now it had finally caught up to him.

"It's up to me?" he whispered, not sure whether to be shocked or elated.

"_Yes,"_ said Robin, annoyed. "Are you up to it?"

"I...yes! Of course I am! Just leave it to me!" The changeling saluted and helped Robin off of the train tracks to crouch in the dirt next to him. The noise was a lot louder now. Any minute the train would appear around the hill they'd just passed themselves.

"Isn't this too close?" Robin queried, sounding sceptic. "The tailwind will rake our faces off."

"Trust me." Beast Boy winked, enjoying the feeling of leadership. He _never_ got to say that! Very rarely in battle were Robin and Beast Boy together, so neither of them were exactly in-tune with each other's techniques. Actually, it seemed _no one_ understood Robin's techniques. Their leader was impulsive, reckless and beyond all else...crazy.

"There it is!" Robin cried. The loud steam train chugged around the corner of the hill and began heading straight for them. It was black and green with no markings or numbers, and it towed what looked like an endless amount of containers.

"Here we go..." Beast Boy transformed into an octopus and wrapped several tentacles around Robin, and held the rest in the air, waiting.

Realising Beast Boy's plan, Robin's heart sunk. This was another _bad_ idea. But it was too late now; the train was closing in fast, now only a hundred metres away.

Eighty metres away.

Fifty metres.

Thirty.

Ten.

The noises of screaming metal and clanking mechanics filled Robin's ears, and as the locomotive passed right in front of his face, he felt the tailwind begin to tear at his eyes. It was so loud and blinding that he couldn't even see what was happening. All he could do was trust Beast Boy.

The plan had seemed quite simple in the changeling's head, but now that the train was speeding past right in front of his face, he was forced to regret being so impulsive. He knew the train was fast, but up close it just a blur of black in his octopus eyes. Hoping for the best, he tightened his grip on Robin and reached his other tentacles out further.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Door rails began smacking painfully into his outstretched arms. Beast Boy took a deep breath and, as soon as he felt another rail hit, tightened his tentacles around it. Whoosh! He was ripped off the ground after the train, and forced flat against the wall of the container. Were trains supposed to go this fast? He felt dazzled from the sheer force of the wind.

Robin, on the other hand, wasn't unused to being dragged at ridiculous speeds. He reached past Beast Boy and, with his good arm, made a powerful chop at the rusting metal chain. It snapped almost willingly, and he pulled the rail back against the door. How Beast Boy expected them to drag the door _against_ the wind was beyond him, but he attempted it anyway. It was their only choice.

"Push it back!" he yelled as loud as he could, trying to push the door open, but barely managing to budge it because of his awkward position. Beast Boy must have either heard him or finally woken from his daze, because he began to help Robin push the door back. After it had opened several inches, Robin immediately shoved his body into the gap and pushed even harder against the door. Soon, the sliding container door was opened wide enough for them both to slide through, and they did – eagerly. As they fell onto the floor of the container, the door slammed violently shut behind them. Beast Boy changed back into himself and slapped Robin on the back.

"That," he said a bit too loudly. "Was AWESOME!"

"Are you kidding me?" Robin hissed. "That was almost as stupid as running off to be wolf bait! We're lucky that this container is mostly empty."

"We made it, didn't we?" Beast Boy was too thrilled at his success to let Robin's words get to him. He couldn't believe it; he'd fought some strange enemies before, but he'd actually defeated a _train!_ Who knew that a train could be more dangerous than a mindless, oozing monster?

Deciding to let it go for now, Robin lay back against the wall of the container and sighed; glad they'd made it safely.


	5. Theory

I'm back! I'm very sorry for the hiatus. It was extended as I was preparing for tertiary, and finally I have the life-or-death interview next week so...I have time again to write! How I have missed Beast Boy and Robin. I hope that the rest of the story is worth the wait.

xxxx

After half an hour of monotonous rattling sounds, Robin had had enough. Now used to the unsteadiness of the container, he began pacing back and forth, eyes narrowed. His leg, which had healed rapidly since the initial injury, was far from his mind. His broken arm was still hanging uselessly.

Beast Boy yawned and sat up from his awkward position on the shaking floor of the container. Feeling a crick in his neck, he transformed into a cat and stretched as hard as he could, before transforming back and sighing in relief. When he finally looked at Robin, he rolled his eyes.

"Dude, you're making me dizzy."

"Then look away," Robin muttered, continuing to pace across the floor.

"Why don't you rest while you can? You're still injured and stuff. There's no point worrying over things now."

Robin finally stopped and faced him. "Beast Boy," he growled. "I'm not sure you fully understand the seriousness of this situation. We have _no idea where we are_, we're roughly headed north, but we don't know the destination. Not all railways end in friendly train stations. Furthermore, the rest of our team could be in serious danger - or even killed – and even if they aren't, they will surely be thinking the same about us. However, neither of us will know how to track each other down. And lastly, my arm is _broken_, and unless I find some medical facility, it's going to _stay broken!"_

Beast Boy looked down and bit his lip, once again chastised by his short-tempered leader. Robin resumed his pacing with a furious expression.

After another few minutes of silence, Beast Boy broke the tension and said, "I wonder what this train is transporting, anyway."

"_Was_ transporting," corrected Robin automatically. "This container is empty, and I'm fairly sure the others are too. This train is on its return journey."

"Okay..." Beast Boy grimaced. "I wonder what it _was_ transporting."

"Likely lone crates," Robin answered without pausing in his steps. "There are no remains on the floor, and there isn't any lingering smell. Probably supplies for some town or base."

"Supplies of what?"

"Anything. Non-perishable foods, medical supplies, clothing, tools..." Robin suddenly stopped and faced the wall of the container, opposite to the door. He scratched the steel with one gloved finger and then scratched his chin. "Or even..." he murmured softly.

"Or what? Or what?" Beast Boy jumped up, drawn in by the mystery.

"People." Robin sounded unsure.

Beast Boy's excitement died. "Er, I think if people wanted to go somewhere, they'd take a real train."

"No, it isn't that." Robin still faced the wall. "We're thousands of miles north of where I thought we should have been. That means we're either in Alaska or Siberia...and something I discovered the other day has just come to mind. Something intriguing..."

"You mean, while you were stalking confidential websites for information you didn't need?" Beast Boy folded his arms and grinned.

Ignoring the changeling's comment, Robin continued. "Dozens of people have been disappearing in the north, often large groups at once. Very few reappear...always thousands of miles further north...and dead. The current theory is that it's an unmarked cargo train, as no one can track it."

"D-d-disappearing?" Beast Boy's eyes widened. "Y'mean like...like..." he glanced fearfully at the shaking walls and inched himself closer to Robin, then whispered, "The Ghost Train of Hollow Moors?"

Robin finally turned back to face the changeling. "The...what?"

"I saw this movie once where a train that goes between all these little country villages starts eating people. Like...you get on...and then you're never seen again. No one could explain it, and they never found the people that disappeared."

When Robin didn't answer, Beast Boy looked at him, and gulped. His leader was glaring furiously right at him. "This isn't a _movie_, Beast Boy! Don't get carried away! No one is getting eaten, and there is a reasonable explanation behind it all."

"Then what made you come to the conclusion that trains are kidnapping all these people?"

"It isn't a conclusion, it's a _theory!"_ Robin shot back angrily. "I'm not saying that this particular train would carry the kidnapped people either. I'm just considering the facts."

"W-what are the facts?" Beast Boy stammered; still convinced they were on a ghost train.

"We're in the north, and we're heading north. This is an unmarked cargo train. Think about it, if this _was_ a "ghost train," theoretically it should heading _away_ from the place where it's taking people, since it's empty. So stop fretting."

"I'm not fretting! I'm sensibly terrified."

"Right."

"I think we should get off the train now."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Robin shoved his face right up to Beast Boys. "ARE YOU NUTS!"

"I don't know the right answer," Beast Boy grimaced, sheepish.

"We almost died getting on. We are _not_ jumping off a train at full speed."

"I don't want to be eaten!"

"No one is being eaten, Beast Boy!"

"You don't know for sure! I _knew_ this train was evil!" Beast Boy began flapping his arms in a panic.

Instead of yelling back, Robin dragged his hands down his face in an attempt to control his anger. "Look," he breathed. "As soon as we feel the train slowing down, we can jump off, okay?"

"As long as we aren't eaten by then, okay."

"...right."

BOOM! _CRUNCH!_ Robin and Beast Boy were suddenly smacked forcefully into each other. Their heads crashed together and both boys instantly lost consciousness. The container seemed to float and spin several times in the air before smacking onto solid ground. However, it didn't stop there. _CLUNK! CLUNK!_ The container rolled over and over, smashing into the ground again and again, until it finally stopped and fell onto its side.

Oblivious to the carnage around them, the Titans slept on as explosions and crunching metal resounded deafeningly outside of their steel fort.

xxxx

I'm sorry for the odd chapter. It's been a while since I've written and it's a little hard for me to get back into the story. I really hope it made sense and I hope you guys like it! Next chapter will come as soon as possible. XD


	6. Wrecked

As per usual, Robin's rapid healing caused him to regain consciousness first. He was so used to being knocked out that the typical disorientation which descended upon awakening no longer bothered him at all. He opened his eyes, but it didn't make a difference. What little light had been in the container before was now gone; it was pitch black.

He groaned as he realised his leg was once again throbbing painfully. _Must've landed on it and split some of the healed skin_, he thought. He reached down and felt the wound – well, it wasn't bleeding, which was a good sign, but if he put too much weight on it the wound would probably split right open.

Robin reached out blindly, and sighed in relief when he felt Beast Boy's scruffy hair barely a foot away from him. The changelings pulse was fine, and he was breathing normally.

Next was figuring out what had happened. There was no sound or movement coming from the container, which meant they were no longer on the train. Why not? Had they reached their destination? No...that couldn't be right. Why had they both been knocked out? Something must have happened to the train; perhaps it had suddenly braked and they'd been forced forward into the wall.

He was in an awkward sitting position, with his back against the container wall. He continued to sit there listening to Beast Boy's breathing as he tried to figure out what they were doing here. Damn! What the heck had happened to them? Robin angrily knocked his head back against the wall.

"Huh?" The 'wall' was wood, not steel, and there were no grooves like on the rest of the container. It was the _floor_. Why was he leaning against the floor?

Come to think of it, Robin finally realised he had been sitting on one of the walls all along; he'd barely noticed the steel grooves in the 'floor.' The container had been _tipped over_. They weren't on the train anymore. Was it just this container? Or had the whole train actually been in an accident?

"Beast Boy," Robin shook the changeling's shoulder. "Beast Boy, wake up!"

"Mmmf..." Beast Boy moaned softly. "Mm-mm-nnerf...wha?"

"Beast Boy, we have to get out of here. Come on, you need to transform." Robin shook the changeling some more.

"Mm yea...transform...dude, my head is killing me." Beast Boy sat up and rubbed his head. "What's going on? Where are we?"

"The train's been in some accident. Come on, you need to tip this thing over; we're sitting on the door."

"R-right," Beast Boy's subconscious heard the order before the rest of him, and he transformed into a huge gorilla without even thinking. His vision improved in the darkness and he saw Robin pointing to the wall next to them, so he immediately shoved his weight into the wood. The container barely wobbled, but Robin motioned for Beast Boy to continue. _BAM! BAM! _The container began leaning over more and more, until a final pound from Beast Boy's gigantic body pushed it at last back into its upright position. Both Titans crashed into the floor with a _thud._

Robin grabbed one of the steel grooves with his good arm and heaved the door across. It made a painful screeching noise which tore through the silence of the night – rust had been forming at the bottom of the door. Beyond the door was only the light of the moon and stars which, even then, was very bleak.

He and Beast Boy hobbled out of the container and onto the freezing soil. They were in some flatlands, with the only hills in sight very far away. It was so cold that they could see ice crystals shining on the scanty vegetation. About fifty metres straight ahead was the railway line.

"What happened?" Beast Boy croaked, confused. "There's no train."

"There are parts," Robin murmured, pointing. Beast Boy looked to see several more containers littered across the ground. Parts of carriages were lying around too, now only scraps of metal and bolts. "The train didn't just fall off. It was _blown off._ Look at the remains; it was decimated."

"But...by what? And why?"

"I don't know." Robin sounded worried, which immediately instilled fear in the changeling. "But we should follow the tracks. They may lead to answers."

"Follow the tracks? The ones that are targeted by _death rays?_ I think I'd rather stay here."

Robin narrowed his eyes and looked back to his teammate. "Need I remind you-"

"Yea, yea I know...unknown place...broken arm...gotcha." Beast Boy sounded a little depressed. "Do I have to carry you?"

"No, I'll walk," Robin said rather quickly, still embarrassed about coming this far only with Beast Boy's help. "Come on."

"I...guess."

The two boys began walking along the hard dirt together, following the wreckage of the train.

xxxx

A couple hours later, with the train wreck far, far behind them, Robin finally had to admit defeat. His leg was throbbing ridiculously from the added exercise and the pain was getting too much to bear. Instead of saying something to Beast Boy, he grunted and suddenly sat down on the rail of the train tracks.

"Dude," Beast Boy turned and crouched next to his leader. "You okay?"

"Fine," Robin snapped. "Just ti-I mean, my leg. I need to rest it."

"Yea...'kay." Beast Boy was getting tired of these rebukes, but he gave his leader space and sat down also. Then, to his horror, his stomach said what he had been thinking about almost non-stop for the past twenty-four hours.

Silence.

"What...was that your _stomach?"_ Robin sounded incredulous.

"Err...yea." Beast Boy replied, embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm just hungry."

"That was the weirdest sound I've ever heard!"

"Cyborg says it sounds like a wolf and a go-kart are having a battle in my stomach," Beast Boy chuckled, and then quickly stopped. No, this was serious time. Robin didn't like jokes.

However, Robin burst into laughter. Now it was Beast Boy's turn to sound incredulous.

"What?" the changeling asked.

"It really does!" Robin laughed. "That was the craziest sound I've ever heard!"

"You're...laughing? At...my stomach? You never laugh at _any_ noise I make."

"Well, I hadn't heard that one before," Robin said, rubbing one of his eyes and grinning. "That was _huge!"_

"Y-yea, heh." Beast Boy tried to laugh along with Robin, but found it a little odd. Robin was usually just as serious as Raven. "Weird, huh."

Robin leaned back and looked at his teammate. The changeling was wringing his gloved hands, looking nervous and out of place. Did he really act so serious that Beast Boy would be afraid of his reactions? Was he really so blunt that the changeling had actually begun to fear cracking a typical joke in his presence?

The leader looked back to the ground. It wasn't _his_ fault – he'd been brought up like this. Someone in the team had to take responsibility; someone had to be the 'tough one.' It wasn't exactly a choice between being friendly and unfriendly. He _had_ to be taken seriously to be the leader for the rest of his friends. The Titans wouldn't follow Beast Boy as a leader even if the world was ending – the changeling didn't take situations seriously. He could get people killed with that attitude. Robin had to continually think about the safety of every single Titan, as well as orchestrating battle tactics and throwing out orders.

Still, was it fair that he didn't act like the friend he considered himself to be? Cyborg managed to keep up a friendly demeanour while still taking things seriously. Why couldn't he, Robin, do the same? Why did he keep shutting everyone else away?

He didn't know. Robin steepled his fingers and began to speak.

"Beast B-" He couldn't finish. Out of nowhere, a huge net flung itself around the two boys and pulled them down the slope from the tracks. Instinctively, Beast Boy once again transformed into his gargantuan gorilla form, causing the net to rip apart. Robin cried out as he landed on his broken arm.

_Thunk. Thunk-thunk._ Projectiles were sinking into the tough soil. Robin rolled quickly away, but heard Beast Boy's growl of dismay, and turned to see a long black dart sticking out of the changeling's giant foot.

"Beast Boy! RUN!" It was too late. The serum in the dart worked its magic super fast, and the green gorilla toppled over with a _THUD_, completely unconscious. Robin kept rolling along until he gathered enough momentum to jump to his feet. However, the pain of jumping onto his damaged leg proved too much, and he fell right over again.

Two clawed, blue feet stepped up to his face, and he looked up to see what appeared to be a blue-skinned, armoured, humanoid alien. On its chest was an insignia that looked extremely familiar, but before he could even begin to recall, another pain burst in the back of his head and he, for the second time in four hours, fell unconscious.

xxxx

Urrgh, I do not like chapters like this. Y'know, they're almost like "filler" chapters except they actually still advance the plot. I want to get to the action parts already! Please read and review, lovely readers.


	7. Snapped

Beast Boy awoke to his face in a pile of mud. He lifted his head suddenly and spluttered.

"Hey," the voice was croaky. Beast Boy sat up and saw Robin sitting next to him. The Boy Wonder's ripped uniform had been replaced by khaki cargo pants and an oversized black muscle shirt. Robin also had a cast-and-sling over his broken arm.

"Hey," Beast Boy grimaced, keeping one hand on the dog's head. "What happened?"

Robin gestured around them, and Beast Boy looked to see they were in some sort of enclosure, fenced with simple wire mesh. There were others in the enclosure, but they sat far away, with their faces hidden in the shadows from the dawn light. "There's at least six guards," Robin murmured. "All armed. They're aliens too. We were brought here. I think this may be where all these people are disappearing."

"H-huh? Here?" Beast Boy struggled to take it all in.

Robin smile seemed dead. "At least your ghost train theory was half-right."

"Wait, wait...aliens? Kidnapped us?"

"The train brings people here."

"For what? Wait...didn't you say the train was on its return journey?"

"I only assumed that because it was empty. I guess they didn't get anyone on that trip."

"Hey, hey! Back up!" Beast Boy jumped up. "We were on a train...that takes people here...to a place with _aliens_...but the train was totally blown off the tracks. What gives?"

Robin grabbed Beast Boy's hand and yanked him back down. "Don't stand up. They don't like it."

True enough, a guard appeared on the other side of the mesh near to them and pointed a two-handed firearm, before shouting something in an odd language. The guard was dressed in what looked like military khakis, but holes had been purposely made to accommodate spines that poked out in random places. The guard didn't wear boots, and instead had large feet with talons where the toes should be. The guard's skin was blue, but his face was hidden by an oddly-shaped helmet, which covered everything except a slot along the middle of his head. Upon his forehead was a red gem.

"Sorry, didn't get that!" Beast Boy called mischievously.

The guard pressed up to the mesh and made a primal, growling sound, before saying in perfect English, "Stay silent human. You are lucky to be alive." The guard then stalked off, leaving the two boys staring at each other in surprise.

"Tellurians," Robin said. "The emblem on their uniform is the same as on the ship we were chasing before...well, before all of this happened."

"Do you think the other Titans could have followed the ship here?" asked Beast Boy hopefully.

"Can't really say, but I don't think so," Robin replied, crushing the changeling's optimism. "We don't know what happened when we fell, except that the ship began travelling at supersonic speed. The T Ship couldn't have kept up."

"Oh..."

Robin patted the changeling on the back. "I'm sure they're fine, Beast Boy," he lied.

"Yea, of course they are." Beast Boy tried smiling. "So...what's the deal with them? The aliens, I mean."

Robin shrugged. "Well, they gave me clothes and bandaged my arm and leg, so I don't think they plan to kill us. Well...not me, at least. I haven't been awake much longer than you, so I really have no idea what's going on." Robin then nodded toward the rest of the enclosure. "There are five people in here, not including us, and none of them move, or make any attempt to communicate with each other. All of them are male, and adult. So far I think that for whatever reason, the train – or trains – takes people from their respective towns and brings them here. Then from here...I don't know yet. This enclosure is built to hold a lot more people, so wherever they've gone...well, I can't be sure."

Beast Boy hugged his legs and rested his chin on his knees. "Okay...the freaky blue aliens kidnap people and bring them here. They also get annoyed if you stand up. Got it." Beast Boy looked around suspiciously before asking, "So, should we escape?"

Robin's answer was grave. "No. Not yet, at least. I can't do anything like this. And we can't leave these people here."

"But we can't just wait here until they pick us off, one by one and eat us!"

"For the last time, no one is getting eaten! We don't know what will happen." Robin glared at the changeling.

"Exactly, so let's get out of here!"

"No! We don't-"

"Come on, Robin," Beast Boy pleaded. "Normally it's you who wants to kick everyone's butt and save the day."

"_Normally_ I'm not crippled," Robin shot back. "Calm down. Nothing is going to happen to you."

"You said yourself that you don't what will happen!" Beast Boy tried to keep his voice low, but his irritation at Robin's stubbornness was raising it more and more. "I could easily sneak out of here, you know I could! I'll just change into a spider and they'll never even know."

Robin sighed. "I'm pretty sure they know you have the ability to transform, but they don't think you're stupid enough to try and escape."

"Why do you think that the idea of escaping is stupid?" Beast Boy growled. "In what _universe_ is that a bad idea? Seriously, Robin, why don't you trust me? I got rid of those wolves, didn't I?"

Robin suddenly lost it. "Beast Boy, I don't give orders to make myself feel important!" he raged. "Believe it or not, I care about your safety and I'm certain that escaping – at least right now - would be a bad idea! Why don't I trust you? You haven't given me any _reason_ to trust you! You could have _died_ leading off those wolves – and where would that leave me? I would have died eventually too. You're far too impulsive and irresponsible to make the imperative choices here!"

Beast Boy had fallen silent, but Robin was on a roll. "You're insane if you think I should trust you! What have you done – ever – that would warrant me to trust you with important decisions? You're lazy, rude, annoying and you complain at every opportunity! It's a wonder Cyborg can deal with you for so long!"

Both boys were standing now, face to face. Beast Boy lowered his head and clenched his fists so hard that they began to shake. Robin blinked and gasped, as if he'd just realised what he'd said.

"Beast Boy, I didn't mean-"

"SHUT UP!" The changeling seemed to stand taller, and his eyes glowed intensely with rage. "JUST SHUT UP! EVERYTHING YOU SAY, EVERYTHING YOU DO; I HATE IT! YOU'VE NEVER LIKED ME, YOU'VE NEVER BEEN NICE TO ME AND YOU'RE ALWAYS SUCH A _JERK! _I _HATE_ YOU! I WISH YOU'D JUST _DIE!"_ The changeling grabbed his head as if in pain and screamed. As he did, his body transformed unlike it ever did; it bulged and metamorphosed slowly, agonizingly. Huge muscles grew out of nowhere splitting the uniform, hair sprouted all over his body and claws extended out of his fingers. Robin backed away in horror as Beast Boy finished transforming into his primal form; the man-beast.

It howled into the sky before slamming a closed fist right into the Boy Wonder's gut – Robin didn't even have time to think about fighting back. He grunted on impact and then gasped for breath, bending over in pain. Suddenly the creature that had been Beast Boy was everywhere at once – claws were slashing his skin open, fists were sending him flying right and left. Robin wasn't sure if he could fight back even if his arm wasn't broken, as he still knew his friend was somewhere inside the horrific beast.

POW! POW! Laser-like discs slammed into the giant creature, forcing it onto the ground. Robin looked up through one eye to see the alien guards finally taking action against the offending duo. Six of them stood in a circle around the man-beast and pelted him with their strange laser bullets, until it finally lost consciousness.

Once out cold, the creature returned to its real form – Beast Boy, so helpless and tiny compared to his inner demon. Robin could only stare, aghast at what he'd done. "Beast Boy..." he croaked. One of the guards grabbed him by his shirt, flung him to the ground and put one clawed foot on his back, before shouting to the others in their guttural language.

While they squabbled incomprehensibly, Robin stared at Beast Boy's face, which was right next to his own. It was the very picture of utter rage, frozen in time, the anger still alive after he had blacked out. Even in the changeling's unconsciousness, he was still raging away at Robin. The Titans' leader sighed softly, and bit his lip. "I'm sorry..." he whispered.

The guards seemed to come to an agreement, because two of them holstered their guns and picked Beast Boy up, before carrying him away. Robin couldn't see where because another guard blocked his vision on purpose by crouching down and shoving its helmeted, unreadable face right up to his own.

"Something fun for once," it said in perfect English. It sounded as if it were smiling. "This will be interesting to see."

"What-" Robin began, but stopped when the alien slapped him across the face, leaving scratches over his cheek. It then called to the others, and they too began dragging him away.

xxxx

Hate how I wrote this chapter...XD Not enough action, STILL! Guys, if you want action, go and read my "The Beast Within" story! (No, it isn't about Beast Boy. XD) Y'know, to make up for the lack of it in this story. I was hoping for an action story, but it is turning out to be more emotional than anything else. Ah well, as long as you guys are happy (and write reviews!) I am happy too. So, tell me what you think so far!


	8. Arena

A/N: I forgot to say sorry for the mega caps in the last chapter. I wrote in caps because I wanted to convey the "other" side of Beast Boy without actually mentioning it. You know how in "The Beast Within" (the episode, not my story) when his voice drops quite a bit and he's glaring all time? He's like a whole other person talking. So yea, that is my excuse. Enjoy!

xxxx

"You want to know why we are here, on your planet?" The alien was definitely some sort of general, by the way his armour was decorated and by the two large horns that protruded through his helmet. Robin was restrained by two other alien soldiers, but they didn't prevent him from glowering at their boss.

"I'm more concerned with the disappearances of innocent people," Robin snarled. "You've obviously built up quite a collection over the last month. However long you've been doing this, it's over. Everyone knows about it now, and they'll stop you. I'll make sure of it."

The Tellurian general laughed – a coyote-like howling sound. Robin took the opportunity to glance around the room. The four of them were in a small, wooden office that had clearly abandoned decades ago. The timber was barely holding and it was blackened from top to bottom. There was also an awful smell lingering about, which Robin couldn't quite place.

"Human, your race cares too little what happens to the clans of the north," the general chuckled. "No action has been taken and there have been no investigations. Nobody cares. These northern villages provide no vital resources to the rest of the planet. They are essentially useless."

Robin was surprised that the general could speak English so eloquently while his underlings spoke in short sentences.

"They're still people!" Robin cried, struggling against his captors. "Does it matter that they don't produce coal or precious gems?"

"Human lives are of no interest to me," the general replied nonchalantly. "Think of it as a service – I am bringing purpose to those who had none."

"By doing _what?_ Don't tell me you only came to Earth to purge it of the people that you consider _useless."_ Robin spat out the last word.

Here, the general laughed again. "From you humans' point of view, that really is what we are doing."

"I don't believe you!" Robin struggled even harder. "No one would go to so much trouble just to 'serve' our planet!"

"Oh, we are not here to serve anyone," the general's tone got darker. "Quite the opposite, actually. The cleansing of your population is only, as you say, killing two birds with one stone."

Robin gritted his teeth and stared hatefully into the alien's dark visor. "What bird are you killing then? What is happening to all these people?"

"What you should be asking," the general murmured close to Robin's ear. "Is where your little green friend might be."

Robin stopped struggling and hung his head, thinking of Beast Boy's primal form, the man-beast. He was suddenly overcome with regret. "That green _thing_ isn't my friend," he said softly, almost to himself. "When he's in that form, he isn't Beast Boy, he isn't even a teammate. He's a monster." Then Robin seemed to remember himself. "Where is he? What have you done with him? With _everyone?"_

"I'll tell you what, human," the Tellurian general crouched so he was at Robin's eye-level. "You and the other one are the most 'spirited' prisoners we have taken yet. You even survived the train wreck-"

"That was _you?"_ Robin cried. "Why would you fire on your _own train?"_

SLAP! For the second time, the Boy Wonder received a ferocious slap across the cheek. It stung awfully. "Human, do not interrupt me." The general's voice was now deep and threatening. "My soldiers are bored. They grow tired of this routine, and finally we discover two stowaways who can actually fight. It was almost fate that you found our train. I will make you a deal."

"Great," Robin groaned, spitting out some blood from a split lip. "What is it?"

"If you win in a fight, I will tell you where we have taken everyone. I will also set you and your friend free."

Robin couldn't help but splutter in laughter. "Yea, right. We can just walk away whistling after I kick someone's butt. That sounds like a fair deal."

The general chuckled again. "Do you have any other choice?"

Robin ground his teeth in fury. It was true. "Fine," he growled. "I'll take your stupid deal."

"Good choice, human."

His alien escorts dragged him out of the room.

xxxx

Beast Boy was getting used to waking up with immense headaches, but it didn't make them any less painful. He knew he'd been dreaming, but he couldn't remember what about. All he knew when he woke up...was that he felt angry. _So_ angry. He remembered what Robin said before...how he was lazy, and how irresponsible he was. But he pushed it away. He didn't want to start another fight. He and Robin were alone in this, and if they fought, who else would they have?

He sat up and rubbed his head. Where was he now? Where was Robin? It was pitch black.

"Hello?" he called nervously. "Hello? Is...is anyone there?"

There were scuttling sounds and rattling, which got louder and louder. The changeling stood up and sensed himself being surrounded. His head was still aching too much to transform into something with better night-vision.

"Who's there?" he called, trying to sound braver than he felt. The scuttling got louder, and he heard grunts and voices in an odd language. Suddenly, light filled the room. It wasn't much – in fact it was only two lamps hanging from a very, very high ceiling. The changeling found himself in a huge room, the size of a small warehouse, and saw that the two longer walls had been replaced by vertical bars of iron. Crowds and crowds of aliens jostled each other behind the bars, staring at him through their unreadable helmets.

A door opened at the opposite end of the warehouse, and to his shock, Robin walked through, looking as though he knew exactly what was happening.

"Robin!" he called. "What is this? What's happening?"

However, at the sight of Beast Boy, Robin's eyes widened and he immediately turned to face the door again. It shut in his face.

"No!" Robin yelled. "You didn't say it would be him!" He smashed his fists into the door, but leapt back when aliens fired at him with their two-handed guns.

A panel opened in the rafters and several aliens walked through into the warehouse on what appeared to be mezzanine-like scaffolding. One of them was adorned in decorations and far more spines than the other aliens, along with two huge, curved horns over its helmet. It spoke.

"You see, humans, Telluria may be far more advanced than Earth, but we greatly enjoy the thrills of battle and single combat, even more so than your pathetic race." The horned-alien sounded like he was in a good mood. "After such boredom, even a fight between two young humans is immensely entertaining. If you fight, whoever survives at the end will be allowed to walk away safely."

Beast Boy was overwhelmed with confusion, but Robin yelled right back. "A fight to the death? _Never!_ I won't fight him!"

"Wait," Beast Boy ran up to Robin. "Your arm...it's...okay?"

Robin seemed surprised, and checked his arm. Sure enough, it was no longer broken.

"Consider it a 'token of good faith,' as you say," said the decorated alien.

"Never!" Robin repeated, shaking his fist.

"Seriously, dude!" Beast Boy grabbed Robin by the shoulders. "What the heck is happening?"

"They want us to fight to the death," Robin said quickly. "For freedom."

"Dude, I really wanted to ask-"

"Not now, Beast Boy."

"It's kind of impor-"

"Quiet! We need to get out of here!"

"Robin!" Beast Boy yelled, finally pushing his leader forcefully to get attention. "Did you mean it? Did you mean everything you said before?"

It caught him off guard. "I...er, well...about that..."

Beast Boy stepped away, screwing up his face angrily, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I knew it," he blurted. "I knew it."

"Beast Boy, I didn't-"

Suddenly, Robin's voice resounded across the warehouse, played back over speakers. _"That green _thing _isn't my friend,"_ it said. _"He isn't even a teammate. He's a monster."_

Beast Boy stepped back even more, not bothering to hide the tears in his eyes. He was speechless in disbelief. Robin hated him. Robin hated him so much, he called him a monster. He even admitted that the changeling wasn't his friend. All this time, all these years, he'd been fooled.

"You..." the changeling managed to force out, choking on the rest of the sentence.

Robin stepped back up to Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, I didn't...I mean, I never meant that...it isn't how it sounds, I swear!"

Beast Boy kept the distance. "You...jerk!" he choked. "I...I can't believe...!"

"Beast Boy, please!" Robin held up his hands to show he meant it. "Please listen to me! It's not like that-"

"Get away from me, jerk!" The changeling jumped backwards and landed in a crouch. "I don't wanna hear it. It's only going to be more lies!"

"I'm not lying!" Robin cried. "You're just...you're in a vulnerable state right now. They think you'll believe anything. It isn't true, okay? What I said, it isn't really about you!"

"Lies!" Beast Boy spat, feeling rage spread through his body like wildfire. Him, vulnerable? Once again, Robin was underestimating him. Once again, Robin was lying through his teeth. Thoughts began to pass through the changeling's head so fast that he could barely read them. His vision blurred and his senses were dulled. His mind bypassed all logic and reality and focused on his deep, uncontrollable fury. It was almost like he was being possessed by someone else. He could feel himself losing control, like he was falling, watching someone else replacing him.

_Please help!_ he cried as he fell, but the words didn't come out. The person above him was waving and smiling as he fell. It was him, but another him. Someone else...someone darker. It wasn't him, not really. Not the real one.

_It's not me,_ he sobbed. _Robin, please help. It's not me._

The darkness swallowed him up.

The world suddenly began again; his senses became a thousand times stronger, his movements a thousand times faster.

Robin leapt out of the way as the shaggy-furred mitt crashed into the ground. Beast Boy had transformed into the man-beast again; his very own inner-demon. It was immensely fast and strong, more so than any other one of Beast Boy's animal forms.

He barely landed again before he had to dive sideways, the man-beast's claws slicing through the air where his legs had been. Then again. And again. Each time he landed, he lost precious milliseconds needed for jumping again. Finally, he ran out of time.

"Yaghh!" he yelled, feeling the long claws rake through his shins. Robin fell to the ground and rolled, barely evading a double-punch from the man-beast's fists. He scrambled to his feet and dove through the beast's legs, slamming his index and big fingers into the weak spots behind its knees.

It howled in pain and fell forwards, giving Robin time to jump back to his feet and rapidly search the warehouse for somewhere to escape. Somewhere, anywhere! He had to get himself and Beast Boy out of here. The Tellurians were shouting and cheering in their ugly language, obviously rooting for their favourite contender. The noise was fantastic. He couldn't think.

POW! Robin's legs flew out from under him, but he gripped the ground with his hands and twisted his legs around, capoeira-style, into a two-legged kick. The creature behind him was just as fast, however, and jumped right over him, out of the way. Robin used the momentum to slide sideways and roll backwards, back up onto his feet, and face the man-beast. He dropped into a fighting stance, and stared hard into the creature's eyes, searching for a sign of the real Beast Boy.

The creature was standing with its legs apart and its claws outstretched. It stared right back at him, growling in its odd animal call.

This had to end.

xxxx

I'm happy with this chapter – very happy. It's long(er). XD Oh, before I forget, I better say that I didn't completely invent the Tellurian aliens. There is a list of all the recorded alien races in DC comics on Wikipedia, so I picked one and invented from there. So that way, it is half my creation, but they still belong in the DC universe. Anyway, please review!


	9. Escape

The arena fell deathly quiet as the teen and the animal faced each other, staring each other down. The aliens expected a showdown, so they held their breath in anticipation. One of the lamps high above flickered weakly, giving off even less light.

"I'm sorry Beast Boy," Robin spoke slowly and clearly, hoping that somehow his friend could hear him through the animal that had taken over. "I never meant for all of this. What you heard isn't what I meant."

The creature only grunted and squeezed its mitts into giant fists. Robin stretched his back leg out further, lowering his stance. "I don't want to do this, Beast Boy," he continued. "If you can hear me, please listen to-_woa!"_ The Boy Wonder barely evaded the heavy swing, which would have taken off his head. Immediately, cheers began ringing from the sidelines. Robin flipped backwards over and over until he'd put more space between them. The creature didn't stop, and before he even had time to consider his next move, Robin had to duck and roll again.

This continued for some time, during which the roaring around them increased; the Tellurians were calling for more action. Robin had fought Beast Boy in this form before, but the situation had been entirely different, and technically, no one had been 'at fault.' Now, Beast Boy was fuelled by the rage of betrayal, and the Boy Wonder didn't want to hurt the changeling. Their friendship was over, and he couldn't bear to see Beast Boy suffer more at his hands.

Every time he saw an opening, he didn't take it. How could he? It would only prove to Beast Boy that Robin was the enemy. Instead, he continued to parry and evade every attack that was thrown at him. His speed was only very slightly faster than the man-beast, so he couldn't gain any real advantage without retaliating. However, he was growing tired, as the creature was very strong – each attack drained even more strength from his body. How could he stop the fight? What could he do to bring Beast Boy back? How could they get out of here, surrounded by enemy aliens?

_Think. Think. There's always something._

DONNNGGGG! The creature smashed its fists into the space where Robin's head at been – right by the barred wall. The sound resounded and the aliens jumped back from the wall, shocked and thrilled at the same time. Robin sprinted in the opposite direction, an idea suddenly forming in his head.

As he ran, he looked behind him. The creature grabbed onto the bars with all four legs and made a magnificent sideways leap, flying towards Robin at high speed, claws outstretched. Just before the claws would have sunken into Robin's back, he jumped up and landed on the creature's furry back. Quickly, he bent his legs and made a huge leap up, up to the warehouse's scotia. He landed against it and pushed hard with his legs, leaping upwards yet again, until he reached the rafters.

CRASH! The rafter he'd grabbed onto snapped as the man-beast swiped its claws through it. Robin quickly jumped to another, then another, heading towards the sloping ceiling. He smiled. It was only wood and corrugated iron.

Things became a blur. He heard shouts of dismay from the aliens and shrieks of anger from their general. But it was too late; inches before he crashed into the ceiling, he grabbed onto a vertical rafter and swung around it, dodging the man-beast, who burst right through the ceiling. Robin swung back around the pole and jumped out after it.

The sun was high in the sky now, and the light attacked both Robin's and the creature's eyes, but they still managed to land gracefully from their giant fall. All the time, Robin's mind was racing through situations, deducing outcomes and reactions. First, Beast Boy had to be rescued from himself. Second, they had to free the remaining prisoners. And third, they had to prevent the aliens from continuing their racket, which was still shrouded in mystery.

The Boy Wonder sprinted across the ground, which sparse vegetation and frost had hardened to rock-like solidity. His shoes, which hadn't been replaced like the rest of his uniform, were falling apart as he ran and the rocky ground pounded against his feet painfully. Was there no end to the harshness of this wilderness?

As he ran, the man-beast only metres behind him, he quickly took in the environment. It looked like an old, abandoned military station, which the Tellurians had claimed for their base of operations. All the buildings were incredibly old, made of only wood, nails and bits of iron. Along each little building, Russian words were stamped in black, though they had faded almost completely. Being fluent in Russian, Robin's theory about a military camp was proven correct. Not only that, but the question that had been resounding in his head for so long had finally been answered.

_Russia_, that's where they were. Probably eastern Siberia, though how far north they were he still didn't know. At least the ground was still soil, and not snow. They must be in one of the warmer areas to the east.

He chanced a look behind him. Beast Boy – or what _had_ been Beast Boy – had only not caught up because he was also intrigued by their surroundings. The creature was stopping and sniffing every few metres, so while it wasn't looking, Robin took his chance and skidded to a halt behind one of the little cabins, slamming his back into the wooden wall and panting with fatigue.

Robin held his breath as a furry, green blur sped past, and gasped when it had disappeared. Now he could hear the Tellurian aliens shouting and firing their weapons. Not only that, but the man-beast's keen senses would give off his position in less than a minute.

_There's always something. Always! _ He looked left and right, keeping a level head, and saw the enclosure he'd previously occupied. Thinking quickly, he headed for it, sprinting as fast as he could. He'd only get one shot at this, and it only depended on whether he was right about the fence...

CRASH! There was a clattering of broken timber as the man-beast smashed through the cabin he just passed, right on his heels. Robin focused on his destination, ignoring all thoughts of panic and despair. The lethal claws were inches from his flesh. _I'll reach the fence,_ he thought. _I will. I know I will._

He did. With his amazing reflexes, Robin suddenly ducked and reached up, grabbing onto the long mane of the beast which passed through the air above him, then he pulled his legs up and pushed them against the creature's body, making a leap in the opposite direction. The beast crashed right into the wire mesh, which caused two whole walls of the enclosure to collapse, but not before several thousand volts of electricity seared through its body.

"Raaaaaaoooooowww!" it cried in pain, shaking from the raw current ripping through it. The old cable that had been along the bottom half of the fence snapped, immediately stopping the current, but the damage had been done. The beast fell to its knees, de-morphed into Beast Boy, and finally collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

Robin stayed in his crouch, trying to catch his breath, as the scene before him died down. He had been right; the aliens had utilised the electric fencing. The aliens themselves were close; they'd catch him soon. He had to hurry. He ran over the fallen mesh, picked up the fallen changeling and tossed him over his shoulder. Then, with the weight of Beast Boy weighing him down, he hobbled across the enclosure to where the other wall had fallen down. As he passed the other prisoners, he cried,

"Come on, you're free! Get up and run before they come! Help me get this guy out of here!" Almost robotically, the other people stood up and ran for their lives – they could hear the aliens nearing. In fact, they were in such a hurry that they pushed right past Robin, causing Beast Boy to slip and fall, bringing down the Boy Wonder with him.

"Hey!" he growled, anger spiking. "Help!" They ignored him, and kept running. Robin grunted, trying to ignore his fatigue. If only Beast Boy could transform in his sleep! He stood up and grabbed Beast Boy's arm, putting it around his shoulders. "Come on," he groaned. "Wake up, Beast Boy!" He began dragging the changeling once more, but the weight was too much. They'd never escape like this, they'd have to hide.

Gathering all the energy he could possibly muster, Robin forced himself to run across the broken enclosure to the nearest possible cabin, before leaping inside and slamming the brittle door behind him. The wood cracked, but thankfully didn't shatter.

Inside were four bunks and two wardrobes. There were no windows, and it smelled awful, but Robin continued to drag Beast Boy to one of the wardrobes, and carefully opened one of the doors. The hinge squeaked painfully loud, so Robin quickly stuffed his friend inside and followed in after, before shutting the door behind him.

Outside he could hear that the aliens had finally caught up, and were expressing their rage at the escape of their prisoners. There were many shrieks and cries in the ugly, Tellurian language, none of which gave Robin any idea of what their next plan was. However, he listened intently, ready to fight if any one of them discovered their temporary hiding place.

"Mm..woa what-mmf!" Robin quickly put his hand over Beast Boy's mouth in the cramped darkness, and whispered as quietly as he could,

"They're looking for us, we need to be quiet."

Beast Boy only shivered and whispered back in a weak voice, "It's...cold..." before he lost consciousness again and transformed into something smaller and furry, though what exactly Robin couldn't see.

Perfect. He picked up the changeling in his new form and tucked him under one of his arms. Beast Boy was right – it _was _cold. The sun did nothing to warm the freezing atmosphere. Robin leaned back against the wall of the wardrobe, and was surprised to find an old military jacket hanging there. He yanked it down and wrapped himself in it, keeping Beast Boy tucked in the crook of his arm. It stunk and was covered in dirt and dust, but he ignored it. Any warmth was worth it.

Noise outside was dying down. He could hear some of the aliens firing their weapons, but it seemed the rest had wandered back to the main part of camp. He felt terrible for the prisoners – they had nowhere to go; they could only run for their lives. The harsh wilderness would probably hurt them far more than the Tellurians would.

Still, they were from this land. They could probably survive a lot longer than him. Robin looked down in the darkness, hoping they could get out of this.

_We _will _get out of this._

Finally hearing nothing but silence, Robin slowly stepped back out of the wardrobe and snuck back to the door, carrying Beast Boy. He peeked outside – nothing, no one. He listened harder, but heard nothing. The aliens had either retired, or had gone to collect some form of transport to chase after the escaped prisoners. _If they haven't been caught again._ Either way, now was the time to make a break for it. In the distance beyond the camp, all he could see were flatlands and eventually hills. He had no choice.

He tucked Beast Boy in the collar of the jacket and buttoned it at the top to keep him from slipping out, then after taking a big breath, ran as fast as he possibly could.

xxxx

A/N: Unintentially explored some of Robin's skills in this chapter. XD I've been considering drawing illustrations for this story, but I'm not sure what scene(s) to do. If you have any ideas, ask me on my deviantART, located from my profile. Anyway, as always, please review!


	10. Blizzard

I'm sorry for the late update. I've been making a couple cosplays, drawing Robin and Batman...and watching through Teen Titans again. I also have been musing over my next story...which will be epic. XD I feel like hurrying through this one just to get to it, but NO! This story must continue. Here you go guys.

xxxx

Robin reached the foothills as the sun was going down, painting the sky orange. Days were very short this far north, sometimes even merging with night because of the lack of sun. The air was getting colder by the minute, and Robin could feel his sweat freezing over his skin.

This was bad. Though he had superhuman stamina, Robin was incredibly tired. This, coupled with a few days without food, and barely any water, had burnt all the energy he had left. It was taking every ounce of concentration he could muster to keep moving his legs. Other worries had been pushed aside...for now.

_Keep going. Keep going. Keep going._

The fuzzy animal sleeping in his jacket never made any movements. Beast Boy was either sleeping, or...

_Thunk!_ Robin collapsed. As soon as his mind was sidetracked, his legs refused to move. The creature popped out of his jacket and thudded next to him, still unconscious. It was a green arctic hare, with huge ears and thick fur. Robin put his hand on its neck and felt for a pulse.

Beast Boy was alive, mostly. He had probably gone from unconsciousness to hibernation. _Lucky._ Robin was desperate for a rest, but he knew that they wouldn't survive if he fell asleep. The cold, the aliens or the beasts of the wilderness would surely attack during his unconsciousness. They were incredibly lucky the aliens had been stupid enough not to notice their escape in the first place, but Robin was sure they would have sent out scouts. They had to keep moving no matter what.

Should he have stayed at the camp, where it was warmer? No, it had been a lose-lose situation. The Tellurian general had only kept them alive to see the Titans fight each other...they weren't worth being prisoners. All of the other prisoners had been at least twenty-five years old or so, from the looks of them. But for what reason? Where were these people being taken?

He coughed, making his throat feel rough. He rubbed it and groaned inwardly. _Concentrate!_ He had to focus on the problem at hand.

Okay...they needed to find shelter...warmth..._anything_. He had to save them both. It was all on his shoulders; everything depended on what he did now.

Robin got to his knees and picked up the green hare, tucking it snugly in his oversized jacket - he had to keep Beast Boy warm. He then stood and looked up to the hills; there were a few dim lights in the distant hills, which meant there had to be some sort of dwelling up there, possibly even a small village. It looked to be more than a few kilometres away...could he make it?

_Yes. I'll make it. I know I will._

He started trudging up the foothills, energy appearing out of nowhere. There was _no way_ he was going to let Beast Boy die out here. He was going to prove his worth as a leader; he was going to look after his teammate until the end. _I will make it, I will,_ he kept repeating to himself. In this manner, the Boy Wonder continued to make his way through the treacherous wasteland.

xxxx

Not only had it begun to snow, a full-on _blizzard_ was in the making. Robin had to strain himself for every single step, because he could feel himself freezing slowly. He had no idea how long he'd been travelling through the hills, but the lights on the mountaintop didn't look any closer. It felt futile, but he didn't give up. He couldn't, because he could feel a small, green creature shivering inside his jacket. He wrapped his arms right around the lump and hugged it, hoping to spread his own warmth to Beast Boy.

He'd ripped off the bottom of his cargo pants and wrapped them around his broken shoes to prevent his toes from getting frostbite, but it only made him all the more colder. The weather was only worsening, and the snow was sinking into his hair, beginning to freeze his scalp. Still, he refused to give up, telling himself he'd been through way worse than this.

Step after step, Robin felt his body freezing over. He could barely move; even the weight of a hare was a struggle to carry. His rational side was screaming at him that this was beyond him - that he couldn't carry on - but his stubborn nature wouldn't give in.

Through the thickening snow, he saw a rocky overhang nearby, which was against the wind. He had no choice; he had to sit down...just for a minute. Robin sat down against the lee of the rock and sighed angrily. After all he'd done to take them this far, was it just going to end like this? Would the Titans ever know what happened? How on earth could he get to the top of the hill before they perished?

In minutes, the blizzard had created a sort of cave of snow around the overhang. It wasn't much, but it felt slightly warmer than before. Robin breathed slowly, trying to gather energy that wasn't there. He couldn't stop here – he had to keep going, or they'd _die. _He would not let death get the better of him. Not now, not ever.

No matter how hard he tried though, Robin couldn't summon the energy he needed to stand up again. It was like having a broken arm and gashed leg all over again – only this time, he couldn't rely on Beast Boy for support. This time, the changeling was relying on him. _He_ was the leader, he was the strongest and the fastest...he was the _guardian_ here. Beast Boy _needed_ him, and Robin couldn't help him.

He'd failed.

Robin screwed his face up and bit his lip, trying to avoid the grief that was creeping over him. What sort of leader lets their comrade freeze to death? How could he call himself the leader of the Titans if all he'd done thus far was injure and starve Beast Boy? Now the changeling and he were freezing over in a blizzard. _There was nothing he could do._

"I'm sorry," he croaked. He brought his knees up and cradled the lump in his jacket, feeling Beast Boy shivering. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy."

There was no answer, of course, but Robin still felt compelled to speak, even if the hare wasn't awake to hear him.

"I failed you Beast Boy. I meant to rescue us; to get us to safety before anything else happened to us. Looks like all I managed to do was get us into more trouble. I'm supposed to look after you...in fact, I swore an oath long ago...to protect you. To protect everyone. I...I let you down."

Still, no signs of life from the hare, except for the incessant shivering, which had spread to Robin himself. He could definitely feel himself losing consciousness. This was the end, after all.

Feeling as if he might as well get it out, Robin continued. "What you heard before...back at the camp...I didn't mean it. I truly, honestly didn't. I had been talking about your man-beast form...and, well...I guess I wasn't thinking. I know it's not an excuse, but you know...I'm sorry. I know I've said it so many times, but...I'm sorry."

Robin waited; almost wishing Beast Boy would answer, though simultaneously grateful Beast Boy wasn't awake to hear him spilling his guts. He'd always been the one they "looked up to." He'd always tried to be the strong, resilient leader for them...the kind that was immortal.

Nothing could faze Robin. Nothing.

Nothing got Robin down.

Robin never gave up.

Robin always won.

Robin always protected everyone at once.

Robin could never be beaten by anyone, or anything.

Robin was the rock that every Titan turned to.

Robin was the guardian.

Robin was...the big brother.

But none of that mattered now. He'd failed, totally and completely. How could he do anything now? He couldn't move. He couldn't save himself, let alone Beast Boy. They were both doomed to die in this wretched little cave of snow, trapped in a lethal blizzard in a land they did not know, while being hunted by extra-terrestrials who were ready to kill them.

_Well, the cold will save them the trouble_, Robin thought, depression finally sinking in. It had been a while since he'd last felt so alone...so utterly useless. There had always been something..._always_. This time though...they were doomed.

Beast Boy had stopped shivering. Robin peeked inside the jacket and saw that the hare was utterly beat. The pulse he could feel against his stomach was abnormally slow and getting even slower.

"Beast Boy..." he croaked, the sound barely escaping his lips.

Not even a twitch. Nothing.

He hugged the hare as close as he could, sure that if he weren't so cold, tears would be welling up in his eyes. His whole head felt stuffed full of sorrow, something he'd only experienced twice in his entire life.

He willed all the heat in his body to pass to his little friend and, at long last, felt himself pass out.

_This...is the end._

_I'm sorry._

xxxx

No, it isn't the end...but you can stop here if you want a tragedy. Reviews are much, much loved.


	11. Renewal

Beast Boy would have slept for hours more, if not for the finger that was poked hard into his stomach.

"Yeeeow!" he cried, sitting up instantly. His head followed the rest of his body slowly, and when it caught up, his vision went blurry and he fell back down again. There was a cry, and voices in a foreign language. The changeling opened his eyes slowly and peered upward.

There were three people hanging over him, staring right back. He wanted to yell in surprise, but all that came out was "Meep?"

One of the faces was a little girl. Her eyes were wide, and she reached toward him with one finger, but was stopped by the woman beside her, who scolded her.

Beast Boy gulped and asked, "Who...are you?"

"Ah, English," said one of them; an elderly man. His Russian accent was very heavy. "Forgive my granddaughter. She finds the color of your skin most curious." The man turned to the girl and muttered something quickly in Russian, making her scowl.

The little girl turned to Beast Boy and said something like "Pra-ste-teh" before she stormed away, looking very annoyed.

"Huh?" The changeling looked to the man quizzically. He smiled and shrugged.

"I told her to apologize. I am Jasha, and this is my daughter." Here he gestured towards his wife, who smiled, stood up, and walked away. The man watched her leave, then turned back to Beast Boy and said, "Now, young one, may I know your name?"

"Er...Beast Boy."

Jasha laughed. "I see! This is a good name for one who can change into a hare."

"Dude..." Beast Boy rubbed his forehead. "Where am I?"

"In a small settlement, halfway up the mountain. My dog found you and your friend buried in a snowdrift during the blizzard. You were very lucky to be found."

"I...what? Mountain? Blizzard? What do you-wait, my friend? Where is he?"

"Slow down, my young friend," Jasha held up his hands. "Your friend is lying just there." He pointed across the room to another bed.

Beast Boy sat up again, this time slowly, to look. Robin was indeed lying in a bed near him, covered in several blankets of wool and fur. His eyes were closed and his skin was very pale, almost blue. He could even see veins popping out from underneath his leader's skin. The changeling grimaced and turned back to the man beside him.

"Is he...okay?" _I sure hope all this fur is fake..._

"He will survive." Jasha said, though his voice was uncertain. "He is very sick from fever and cold, though. He kept you warm while his own body froze over. I am very surprised that he has not suffered from frostbite. He wore barely anything to keep him warm."

"He...kept me warm?" Beast Boy was confused at what he was hearing.

"Yes. At first I thought it was just your friend, but he was curled around a green hare – you – keeping it warm. When I brought you back to my house, the hare changed into a person with green skin. You have been sleeping for almost two days, but have had moments of consciousness where we can feed you."

Beast Boy's face dropped. "Er...feed me what exactly?"

"Small pieces of roasted ermine."

"R-r-r-r...gah!" Beast Boy turned even greener. "I ate...stoat guts?"

Jasha looked a little annoyed. "We do not have caviar up here, Beast Boy."

"C-c-caviar?" Beast Boy's cheeks bulged and he tried swallowing. "No, I meant...er, never mind. Thanks so much for looking after me...us...both of us. Thanks."

There was a long silence, in which Jasha looked sadly down at Robin's limp body. "It is obvious that you mean a lot to him. In his unconscious mind, he probably thinks you are dead now, and this depression may slow his body's desperation to wake. But...for now," Jasha turned back to Beast Boy. "I will let you rest. You seem very healthy, unlike your poor friend. I will see you later, Beast Boy." He walked out of the room.

Beast Boy looked around. The room was more of a cabin, with log walls and fur decorating most of the floor. His bed was also covered in fur, and he tried to ignore it, telling himself that it wasn't real. If he didn't, he knew he'd get sick. There was a fireplace beyond Robin's bed, so Beast Boy got up, taking one of the woollen blankets with him, and sat next to the warm fire, facing his leader.

He remembered as far as seeing Robin in some sort of arena...after that, his memory was only blurs and vague noises. What had happened since then? Somehow...Robin must have escaped, carrying him, and taken them both back into the wilderness. Now they were up some unknown mountain, and Robin was only half-alive.

For some reason though, he remembered the rage he'd felt before he blacked out. He remembered what he'd heard, about what Robin had 'thought' of him. And yet...the anger was subdued now. He could only feel remorse...even pity for his unconscious leader.

Had Robin really escaped the clutches of the Tellurian aliens, all on his own? Even while he, Beast Boy, was unconscious? It seemed Robin had carried him so far away into the wilderness that they were up a mountain where the alien 'threat' hadn't even been mentioned. And through a _blizzard?_ Wearing nothing but shorts, makeshift shoes and a military jacket?

"Guess they call you the 'Boy Wonder' for a reason," Beast Boy murmured.

The changeling spent a few hours in front of the fire, almost face-to-face with Robin. His leader seemed more like he was comatose than sleeping, and every second was agony for Beast Boy; wondering how and why they had both entered into this situation. Why had Robin decided to rescue them both? Why did Robin even care about him, after he knew what horrible things had been said about him?

_That green _thing_ isn't my friend._

And yet, Robin had almost died trying to save him. As the old man had said – Robin had given all of his warmth to Beast Boy, trying to give him that extra chance at staying alive. If they weren't friends, what were they? What could Robin gain from carrying someone who obviously meant nothing to him halfway up a mountain...through a _blizzard?_

_It is obvious that you mean a lot to him._

It didn't make any sense! Beast Boy held his head in his hands and sighed. If only Robin were awake...they could somehow sort this out.

"I knew you didn't like me much," Beast Boy said softly. "But hearing you say that, even if it wasn't face-to-face...it really hurt. I don't even remember what happened after you said that...but dude, if you were prepared to die for me..." he gulped. "I guess what you said couldn't be true after all."

From Robin there was only silence. Beast Boy bit his lip, feeling embarrassed.

"If I'm not your friend, why would you die for me? I'm nothing to you. I couldn't transform against the elements, and I couldn't do anything to help either of us. I was useless and yet...you didn't leave me. Why?"

Nothing but slow, shallow breathing from his unconscious leader. Was there something he was missing? Was Robin really at fault, per se? Beast Boy ransacked his memory from top to bottom, desperate for something to clue him in on Robin's odd choice of actions.

_The beast._

He'd completely forgotten. Before their time in the arena, he'd lost his temper with Robin, and transformed. The_ first_ time. Had he done something in his uncontrollable rage to make Robin hate him, if only for a little while?

It sounded weird in his head, but it was something to grasp at, so Beast Boy continued to wrestle with his memories.

xxxx

He was miserably sick and weak.

_But he was alive._

Robin coughed and rolled onto his side before opening his eyes. Lo and behold, there was the changeling, fast asleep in front of a warm fire. He smiled to himself. They'd both survived! Thank goodness they were safe. It seemed the settlement he had been heading for must have found them buried in the snow.

He could smell his own sweat; he must have recently broken a fever. Not only was he lucky to be alive, he had escaped both frostbite and severe hypothermia. He couldn't help but grin at their incredible luck.

His attempts at sitting up proved futile, so instead he put his hands together over his stomach and began meditating. It was radically different to Raven's style of meditation, where she chanted and kept a firm leash on her emotions. He'd learnt to meditate many, many years ago from an old friend. It basically kept him calm and sped up the healing process in his body.

Half an hour after he woke, an old man and a middle-aged woman entered the room. The woman rushed to his side and placed a cool, wet cloth over his head, whispering rapidly in Russian. The man smiled and sat on a stool next to the fire, ruffling the sleeping changeling's hair as he did.

"You and your green friend here have remarkable healing skills," he said with a Russian accent. "I did not expect you to wake up for a week or more!"

Robin breathed slowly, keeping up his meditation. "We have a job to do," he said, business-like. "We can't be lazy and sleep the days away." Then he remembered his manners. "By the way, thank you, both of you. You saved our lives."

"My pleasure," the man replied, seemingly in a jubilant mood. "To see strangers out here is a rare occurrence these days. It is nice to meet you – I am Jasha."

"Zdravstvujtye," said Robin, with a perfect accent. "I am Robin, and he is-"

"Beast Boy," Jasha smiled. "He woke several hours ago, without sickness."

"Spasibo balshoye," the Boy Wonder breathed in relief.

"Your Russian is most perfect for a yank," Jasha said. "May I ask what you are doing in the northeastern Siberia, since it is clear you are Americans?"

Robin complied, trusting the man without hesitation. "My team and I were in pursuit of an alien spacecraft when we were separated over the ocean. So far, it seems Beast Boy and I are the only ones out here. I am fairly sure the rest of my team made it out alive, though I doubt they realise we are all the way out here."

Jasha raised an eyebrow. "If you were separated over the ocean, why did you not stay by the shore, where your friends would look for you?"

"There were wolves, and I was badly injured. We had to leave the area, and eventually found a railway line. We assumed it would lead us to a town, but ironically it led us right to the aliens' base of operations."

"Ah, the blue soldiers." Jasha's face morphed into a scowl. "They came here three months ago and kidnapped all of the men...well, the ones who weren't as old as me."

Robin perked up a little. "Do you know much about them? Do you know where they took your men, and what they do to them?"

"All I know is that they seem to have unlimited ammunition and take their prisoners a few more miles north, where the trains can't reach. I haven't been there myself. Don't tell me you're thinking of-"

"Throwing in a wrench? Yes, I am." Robin ignored the woman's protests and sat up, making the cloth drop from his forehead. "They don't care what they are doing to these innocent people, and if I'm the only one who can stand up to them, I guess I'll just have to go solo."

"I take it back," Jasha groaned. "You have not healed after all. You are delusional."

"I'm fine," Robin growled, pushing back the covers and standing up. Though at first wobbly, his strength and orientation returned swiftly. The meditation had worked. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, Jasha, but I _need_ to do this."

The old man was spluttering in disbelief. "You are _mad!_ You cannot think that you will succeed – you're alone, unarmed, and still healing. What you _need_ is rest."

"No."

The voice made everyone jump. It was Beast Boy, standing up slowly and scratching his head. He looked up and stared Robin right in the eye.

"No," he repeated. "What you _need_ is me."

Robin smiled at the changeling, glad that the enmity was gone. "Yea," he agreed. "I'll take Beast Boy for some back up."

In one surreal movement, the boys grinned at each other and slapped a high five.

xxxx

HAHAHAHA...sloooow update. Sorry, I'm just drawing a lot. Please review, readers whom I love!


	12. Down

Excuse: Someone asked me to help them on Maplestory, and I haven't been able to unglue myself. Plus I'm sick. And I'm drawing more than ever. /excuse

xxxx

With the blizzard long gone, the boys had left the settlement and Jasha to head north, now with supplies and warm clothes. The snow was thick and deep, but Jasha had given them wide pieces wood that they could attach to their shoes, to prevent sinking deep into the ice.

There was a layer of niceties in the boys' quiet conversation, but unsaid thoughts loomed ominously around them, and neither mentioned these darker feelings. Both Robin and Beast Boy had their doubts and complaints, but now that they were much better off than before, there was a mutual feeling of peace between them, and they felt that at least for now, it shouldn't be bothered.

Beast Boy was trailing behind Robin, each step tiring him even more, because his head felt weighed down with mixed emotions. He still didn't understand Robin's true intentions, nor where he, Beast Boy, stood in the Boy Wonder's 'social circle.' Back at the alien camp, Robin had even declared that the changeling wasn't even his teammate. Thinking back, Beast Boy felt more sorrow and confusion than rage, because his uncontrollable fury was only the initial reaction. It's not like he was a psycho...everyone was allowed to snap every once in a while, right? Robin probably did it more often than anyone else on the team.

And yet, if Robin really had meant what he said, which would make Robin's stand-offish behaviour towards him all these years make sense, why had his leader given up his own life to save him? There was a one in a million chance they could have survived, and Robin had decided that he'd rather save Beast Boy than have them both die. Robin must have known that even such a sacrifice would do no good in that weather...but he had.

_Why?_ It confused him so much. Beast Boy couldn't get it out of his mind, and was desperate to bring up the subject, but since they were finally heading somewhere in a reasonably optimistic mood, he was loathe to break the light-heartedness. Instead of ruining it, he continued to watch his feet race each other through the snow.

It was a lot warmer than it had been before, but the temperature was still far out of Beast Boy's comfort zone, and he let Robin know this by chattering his teeth.

"H-how much l-l-longer till we r-reach the b-b-b-bottom?"

Robin looked behind him and gave a weak smile. "It looks like half a mile till we reach more flatlands, so let's take a break down there."

"K-k-kay."

"Why don't you transform into a polar bear? Wouldn't it be warmer?"

"I wouldn't want to waste all of this dead animal skin. Thanks anyway." He didn't mean to sound snappish, but just thinking about how much fur he was wearing made him physically ill.

"It's going to get colder," Robin warned. "I don't mean to sound...er, insensitive, but you might have to put aside your beliefs to keep yourself alive. At least for a while."

"You? Insensitive? _Perish the thought!"_ The changeling immediately regretted what he'd said. Robin merely turned back and continued to trudge ahead of him, but inside he felt terrible. That had really been uncalled for. Robin had actually been trying to be nice, and he'd shot him down.

"Er, sorry..." he muttered.

"It's okay." Robin's voice was deadpan.

The leader understood Beast Boy. He knew how hurt the changeling was feeling, and he could only imagine how confused he must be right now, but he couldn't bring himself to bring up the subject. He wasn't good at deep conversation; it was more a girl thing. Starfire and Raven were excellent when it came to feelings and emotions and stuff like that. Him? He'd never tried talking to Cyborg or Beast Boy about this kind of stuff. About friendship and all that. It felt weird.

Still, Beast Boy was the youngest of them all, and had probably been hurt the most in the past. Though he'd never admit it to anyone, the changeling had a fragile soul, and Robin had seen deep into Beast Boy's inner self when Terra had betrayed them. In the months that followed since the betrayal, and even after Terra had been killed as a price for her redemption – Beast Boy had been so broken. Starfire, Cyborg and even Raven had tried to cheer him up using many different methods, and eventually the changeling slowly began healing.

But he – Robin – the leader of the Titans? He'd barely said an encouraging word to his younger teammate. It wasn't like he didn't care – of _course_ he cared – but he didn't know what to do or say. He'd always suffered through his problems on his own, and trying to cheer up someone else felt alien and awkward.

The changeling didn't know it, but Robin knew a lot about him. He knew how Beast Boy would react to different things, he knew how he felt about different subjects, and he knew how much the poor changeling suffered, when it seemed no one else noticed. He knew the history and the sad stories that haunted his green friend, and yet...not even once had he tried to strengthen their bond of friendship. Not once had he verbally sympathised with the changeling, nor attempt to start conversation on a deeper level than what they normally did.

Robin grimaced. Now that he thought about it, were they really close friends after all? In combat they worked together splendidly, but in times of spiritual crisis, they went their separate ways. That's not what he did with either of the girls. He always made sure they were as happy as he could make them, and they with him. Did it work that way? Could he do anything to help the changeling? Was there even a single thing he could do in the long days at the Tower that would make the two of them closer, both as friends and teammates?

He felt terrible. Years were wasted, and Beast Boy was as distant as he'd ever been from him. In their first meeting, Beast Boy had admired him so much – he'd even asked to be his sidekick – and Robin had, like he always did, shot him down. That first rebuke had only been the first of very many. Was it really possible that it had taken him this long to realise that the entire time the Teen Titans had existed...he'd looked over Beast Boy?

It felt horrible. He felt like a failure.

Robin was so engrossed in his self-disgust that he forgot to stop at the bottom of the hill, and continued to march across the flatter ground, where the snow was thinner. His makeshift snowshoes suddenly became far more awkward and before he knew it, he'd tripped and fallen right onto his face.

He emerged with a face full of snow to the sound of cackling. He looked behind him and saw the changeling holding his stomach, unable to stand due to laughter.

"Um," he said.

Beast Boy fell over backwards and let forth an explosion of uncontrollable laughter. Robin brushed the snow from his face and smiled. As hurt as the changeling was – as lonely as Robin had forced him to feel – Beast Boy still managed to keep up a brave facade of innocence.

The laughter was intoxicating; soon he found himself laughing along with the changeling, and they both sat in the hard, rocky snow chuckling at Robin's clumsiness. Beast Boy grinned at his leader.

"_That,_" he giggled. "Is going down in the Titan's hall of fame."

"We have a hall of fame?" Robin grinned back.

"We do now!"

"What about Starfire and her mustard-cakes?"

"Diplomatic immunity," Beast Boy laughed. "She's allowed to do silly things."

"Heh, I guess you're right."

Along came a ridiculously painful silence, in which Robin finally managed to gather the courage he needed. He took a breath.

"Hey...Beast Boy...um, about-"

"Hey, look!" Beast Boy pointed over Robin's shoulder, and the leader looked just in time to see a huge black ship fire itself into the distant eastern sky. The changeling stood up. "It came from beyond that bunch of trees way over there. Looks like...er..." he squinted and shielded his eyes, though there was no shining sun. "Maybe two...three miles?"

Robin swallowed his words and stood up with the changeling. "Right," he said, business-like. "Let's head over that way. It must be where all those prisoners are."

"But...lunch? You said we'd rest!" Beast Boy pouted.

Robin was about to snap back, but held his tongue. _Listen to him. Respect his needs, too._ "Yea, right. Ten minutes." He sat back down and opened his little rucksack, looking for something to eat. Beast Boy followed suit.

It turned out Jasha's daughter hadn't packed them any tofu.

"Ugh! What is this stuff?" Beast Boy pulled out a dangling, gooey object and inspected it with a revolted expression before flinging it over his shoulder. "Disgusting! Oh, and I don't even _want_ to know what this thing is..." Out of his rucksack came a squishy, circular object wrapped in tinfoil. When Beast Boy squeezed it, it made a horrible squelching sound. It was sent over the changeling's shoulder along with the rest of his 'lunch.'

"Won't that attract wolves? Or bears?" Robin grimaced.

"I don't care! There's no way I'm eating that stuff. Ah! This looks promising!" He pulled out a bunch of green stalks with dark roots. "Right now, I don't care how primitive this is...I'M HUNGRY!" He threw the odd vegetation into his mouth and began chewing.

Robin inspected his own food and found the same unattractive morsels. Jasha had probably expected them to make a fire, but had completely neglected to give them a lighter or matches. The meat could only be eaten raw, and even Robin wasn't really a fan of raw foods. He wasn't even that hungry; his stomach had shrunken so much that he was still full of what he'd eaten back in Jasha's house. Instead, handed his own portion of vegetables to Beast Boy and drank some water, before lying back against a flat rock to stare at the dull, grey sky.

After this, they'd find out what was happening. After this, they'd find out the reason that all of this had happened. _Everything;_ from the prisoners, to the Titans' separation to Beast Boy's unconscious rages.

If there was one thing he knew, it was that he'd make those aliens pay very dearly.


	13. Hangar

I am very, very sorry for such a late update. There's no excuse...but here it is. I hope you haven't given up on me. (I would've.)

xxxx

"It's an invisible alien base!" Beast Boy cried as soon as they stepped through the forest edge. Robin rolled his eyes. Before them was a large expanse of...nothing.

"This is definitely where the ship was headed," he murmured thoughtfully. "Cyborg, where-" Robin stopped himself, confused. Cyborg wasn't there. Neither was Raven or Starfire. You'd think he had that remembered by now. He scratched his head, embarrassed.

Beast Boy hadn't missed it, and his eyes scrunched up in sorrow. "Cy..." he croaked.

Robin patted the changeling's shoulder. "It's okay Beast Boy. We'll see them again. Soon. I promise."

There was severe conviction in his leader's voice, but Beast Boy knew the odds were against them. Nevertheless, he nodded and smiled, doing his best to look brave. After seeing Robin in such a weak state, his leader had been demoted from a godlike soldier in his mind to just...a friend. Robin's words no longer meant what they used to. They felt hollow, and Beast Boy could see how much his leader suffered because of the pressure.

The changeling watched Robin inspecting the ground, tapping it and sniffing it. Was being a leader really that hard? Was Robin always making false promises and bluffs to get his friends through their turmoil? It invoked mixed emotions, made worse by the fact that Beast Boy still didn't understand how Robin really felt about him. There was still that icy tension between them – words unspoken that floated in the gap. He only hoped that after this was all over...Robin would really tell him the truth. The whole truth.

Beast Boy sighed and plopped onto the snow. Once his butt hit the ground, he jumped right back up with a yell. "YEEEOWCH!"

Robin rushed over. "What happened?" he said quickly. Beast Boy pointed wordlessly to where he had sat, rubbing his butt with a pained expression. Robin dug into the snow and within a second found a sharp aerial, poking ever-so-slightly out of the ground. The further he dug, the longer the aerial seemed to be. It went right into the rock-hard ground.

"Nice work, Beast Boy," Robin smiled.

"Told you it was an invisible base," Beast Boy moaned, still with his hands clamped to his butt.

"Not invisible – _underground_." Robin breathed. "This aerial probably picks up approaching ships and opens some sort of door into what must be a hangar below us. We've just gotta find a way in."

"Is there a visitor's entrance?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Robin replied. "I imagine not even aliens would want to be outside in this atmosphere. It snows often this far north."

"Sooo..." Beast Boy tried to come up with the next possible plan before Robin. "We wait for a ship to come and jump in when the door opens?"

"Too risky – another blizzard could start up." Robin looked sideways at his friend. "I don't want that to happen again."

"Yea...I guess." Beast Boy looked down, reminded again of the unspoken words that desperately needed to be said. "So umm...what do we do?"

"Well, we'll have to-" before he could finish, they heard the unmistakeable sound of an aircraft engine. "-do exactly what you said," Robin finished, grinning uncharacteristically. He dived back into the thick snow of the woods, closely followed by a mollified Beast Boy.

They watched the ship fly over them and into the large clearing – it was definitely one of the alien spacecrafts, as Robin spotted the insignia on the wing. Tellurian, according to Starfire. It hovered a hundred feet off the ground, which began to rumble. Beast Boy transformed into a mouse and scrambled into Robin's furry hood. His leader in turn pulled the hood over his head and pulled out a small knife that Jasha had granted them.

"Ready?" Robin whispered. He was answered with a tiny squeak from the changeling, and with that, he jumped up. The ground rumbled more and more violently and a gap began appearing in the snowy expanse, the ground parting to reveal the secret hangar beneath. Robin leapt from the cover of the woods and sprinted as fast as he could towards the gap. The ship began lowering, and he felt the pressure of the landing jets blowing him forward.

He reached the gap just as it became two metres wide, and jumped in without a thought for a safe landing. Just as he thought, cables hung from the edge of the 'door' to provide gas to power it. He grabbed onto the cable, and his weight immediately broke its staple to the ceiling. Robin swung down in a wide arc, barely seeing where he was going, and reached out blindly for something solid. His gloved hand found a rail, and he instantly grabbed onto it before letting go of the broken cable.

Robin jumped over the rail and crouched in the shadows, finally getting a look at where they were. It was a fairly small hangar – built only for one ship at a time, it seemed. He was on a meshed walkway about two storeys higher than the bottom of the hangar. He looked where it led and saw that it ended at a solid door. That gave them two options – one was to explore the expanse of the hangar, which led into another larger room, perhaps for other aircraft. The other was to see what lay beyond the door. The hangar itself was devoid of life, except for the still-landing ship.

The tiny green mouse jumped out of his hood and landed on the mesh as Beast Boy. "Let's go that way," he said excitedly, indicating the door. Robin nodded, and they crept along the walkway hurriedly. The ship had almost landed.

Robin and Beast Boy turned the wheel on the door together. It creaked loudly, but gave way easily enough. Before long, the door finally opened, and the two boys slipped through just as the ship behind them had touched the ground.

xxxx

I know it's short...I'm just letting you know I'm back-ish.


	14. Forthcoming

There is no excuse for my absence – I am SO, SOOOO sorry! It's been so long that the plot of this story has been blurred and I'm not sure what was supposed to happen next, but I'm going to make it up as I go along and hope I remember, because it's about time I finished this damn story. Enjoy my attempt!

Xxxx

The alien lieutenant spied the intruders on one of his monitors and smiled to himself. The Commander was right again, just as he'd been right about them boarding one of the camp's trains, along with escaping from said camp. These two humans were definitely above par – all the information the Commander had collected on them was true. He motioned for the guards to keep watching the monitors and walked out of the room, thinking back to when he and the Commander had first seen footage of the superhuman team in action. All five had performed amazingly – battling in perfect sync, reading each other's minds with exact precision. They had strength.

Absolutely perfect for the Commander's plan.

The lieutenant continued walking through the bunker-like corridor toward the room he and his men had aptly-named "the Factory." A couple months ago, before the Tellurians had settled into this underground facility, which had been a bunker at the time, and the three military camps many miles south of it, the Commander had informed all of them the purpose of their mission. A specific area of their alien technology was somewhat useless everywhere else in the galaxy, but here on Earth…the lieutenant shook his head and smiled. Humans possessed something that the Tellurians had never come across before, something powerful and unexplainable – something that the weak species of Earth _definitely_ did not deserve.

However, because of the Tellurian Emperor's recent decree of attempted equality on planets that Telluria held no qualms with, the Commander was forbidden to mass collect the power that the humans possessed. Instead, in a stroke of brilliance, the Commander had decided to settle inside what the human's called "the Arctic Circle," a nearly-forgotten wasteland that still seemed to house masses of humans, though for what reason, the Tellurians could not tell. From what they could tell, these humans possessed no specific purpose in relation to the rest of the planet. They lived independently and free. The Commander saw ripe livestock for the taking, and knew that the rest of the world wouldn't notice nor care if these humans disappeared – and better yet, the mission didn't _exactly_ go against the royal decree. The third and probably the best reason for settling in the Arctic Circle was that the humans here possessed the stronger and larger amounts of their strange power.

As he reached the end of the corridor, the lieutenant stopped in his tracks and stood to attention. The pneumatic had door hissed open, and the tall, muscular Commander stood behind it, eyes expectant. "Well?" the larger alien asked in the guttural Tellurian language.

"They're here." The lieutenant replied smugly. "You were right along. The power that drives them here is the same power that will give us the strength to conquer the rest of the galaxy. It's poetic."

"I hate poetry," said the Commander, before turning and walking back into the room, the lieutenant following him.

Xxxx

Robin and Beast Boy looked around at the room they'd just entered. It was lit dimly by fluorescent lighting, and at a closer look, appeared to be a mix of human alien technology – each bulb different from each other. The walls were also a strange mix of cement and metal plating, almost like they'd been patched up. The wide and seemingly empty room was a mish-mash of an old bunker and, apparently, a makeshift alien base.

"So…I guess they aren't staying long? I mean, if they can't build a decent base…" Beast Boy looked questioningly at Robin.

"Yea, you could be right," Robin nodded. "The other base was just an old military camp too. They're just reusing abandoned buildings, so it's more than likely their presence here is temporary."

_Isn't that what I just said? And what does he mean, I _could_ be right? _Beast Boy grumbled to himself, but fighting now was not an option. The amount of arguments he and Robin had had in the past couple days was substantial, and if they had anymore, it was likely they'd never find the answers they needed.

Still, the changeling couldn't help feeling that the answers he wanted from Robin were far more important than the answers behind the disappearing people and the mysterious aliens. Rationally, protection of the innocent was imperative compared to what could be called a "petty, teenage fight," and yet Beast Boy had to struggle hard to keep the feelings at bay. He steeled himself against his desperation for answers, and told himself that whatever he needed to know, he'd beat out of Robin before the end of the day, after they'd kicked some serious butt.

"What?" Robin looked quizzically at the changeling. "Did you just say 'butt'?"

"W-what? No…I…was just thinking aloud."

Robin sighed in exasperation. "You're thinking about butts? Now?"

"No! Not like that, just…come on!" Beast Boy hurried to the other side of the room. Robin followed, noting that there were no visible video cameras. Up north this far, in a well-hidden underground bunker, CCTV seemed a little redundant, but you could never be too sure with aliens.

"Try this door," Robin opened it, checked, and walked through with Beast Boy close on his heels. "Okay, the plan is to find some sort of general or commander. Now that we're all healed up, we'll have no problem in kicking his ass and making him tell us what the aliens are doing with all these people."

"And the T-Ship!" Beast Boy blurted. "What happened to it and if he knows where Cy, Star and Raven are!"

"Definitely," Robin's expression was hard. A pang of intense anxiety stabbed him in the heart.

"Are you going to be okay to fight a big bunch of these buff aliens without your utility belt?"

Robin faked a smile for the younger boy. "Of course! You know who trained me." The Boy Wonder continued walking fast. "I don't need all that stuff, especially if lives are at stake. Come on, let's try that door now."

Beast Boy followed dutifully, racked with worry and confusion. _The sooner we get out of this mess, the better._

xxxx

The lieutenant walked with the Commander to the centre of the massive, luminescent room, discussing with him the direction the two human intruders would take to reach this room. He still marvelled at the plan, which had worked out almost perfectly since the beginning. He had been with the Commander when he had first viewed the footage of "the Teen Titans" on the human news network. Immediately after seeing it, the Commander ordered the lieutenant and his men to retrieve them at once. These five "Titans" showed more power than they'd seen from any human yet. Though one was clearly not human, and another appeared to be fused with human technology, all five had proven their worth. And such worth it was to the Tellurians.

Since their "jurisdiction" was within the Arctic Circle, the Commander ordered one of their ships to attack the place known as Titan Tower to "rattle the hive." Once riled up, the ship took off, leaving the angry teenagers obliged to follow the UFO at any cost, even to the Arctic Circle. The plan had gone well, until the unanticipated disappearance of the green one and the leader. The team's ship had been destroyed piece by piece as the spacecraft had pulled it at a supersonic speed. After losing sight of the two missing members, the Commander made the prediction of them stowing away on one of the trains. All three trains were blasted of their tracks on their journey, but of course only one train contained the two missing Titans members. Once captured, the Commander, on a whim, ordered his general to pit the two against one another in a fight, to see if one or the others strange "power" would grow. According to the general's report, it certainly had.

The pair of aliens stopped in the middle of the room, and the Commander stared at their prized possessions before him. The lieutenant followed his gaze at first, and then swept his eyes across the cavernous room. The circular chamber was filled with glass pods, each containing a human submerged in clear liquid. Every human had two tubes stuck in their temples, connecting them to the back of the pod and draining the humans of their mysterious, exclusive power. The Tellurians were siphoning this power from each human hungrily.

"They will come here, so be sure to catch them before they do any harm," said the Commander harshly, the Tellurian language causing him to spit. "I've no doubt that anyone in their way will be met with the sheer force of their strengthened power."

"I will gather everyone immediately," replied the lieutentant confidently. "Everything will be ready by the time those two humans reach this room."

"Good. This is our greatest chance at finishing our first cell. Don't make any mistakes." The Commander glared at his subordinate for a moment before turning away and walking towards a different door. The lieutenant saluted and pressed the gem on his forehead.

"Everyone to the Factory," he murmured, his voice ringing in his ears. He knew the message would be received. Happy with the progress of events, the lieutenant turned and faced the three pods that the Commander had been staring hungrily at before. He smiled.

Within the pods were a dark-haired girl, another alien and a half-human, half-machine.

Xxxx

Sorry again. Don't forgive me. Ever. Maybe one or two more chapters. Also, no offence if you live in the Arctic Circle, it was just for story purposes.


	15. Answers

The boys continued pacing quickly through the makeshift base.

"Hey, smell that?" The changeling held his nose in the air and closed his eyes.

"What? What it is?" Robin paused and looked expectantly at the changeling.

"It's like…chlorine? No, more like saline."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" Huffily, Beast Boy transformed into a hound and continued to wave his nose around. He then changed direction and began running to the right, towards another door, this one looking to be locked by a keypad. Robin followed him and they stopped at the door, looking for any cameras. If there were any, they had to be invisible. Still, they hadn't run into a single alien yet…perhaps…?

Beast Boy transformed back and grinned. "The smell is actually pretty strong. Let's go through here!"

"Why are we following the scent of saline?" Robin narrowed his eyes, now annoyed. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Exactly!" Beast Boy replied excitedly. "What are_ aliens_ doing with saline? Maybe it's got something to do with the missing people!"

Robin disagreed with his logic but couldn't think of a better plan, so nodded to the green boy. "Okay, let's go. Let me hack this thing-" He'd begun to type on the door's keypad, but jumped at the grating shout behind them.

"Intruders!" The Tellurian held up one of the alien weapons, but in the second he took to do so, Beast Boy transformed into a monkey, leapt at the guard and wrapped his tail around the barrel. He pulled, and the gun fired into the ceiling. Robin reacted just as fast and sent a flying kick into the alien's armoured chest. The boys had no time to celebrate, however, as more guards began to swarm in behind the guard they'd just incapacitated. They heard a hissing sound, and the door behind the boys that had been locked suddenly flew open and another crowd of alien guards ran out, all armed and shouting in their raspy tongue.

Beast Boy turned into a rhino and charged at the guards coming from the door, while Robin picked up the downed guards gun and began firing at random into the crowd before him, strafing sideways. The room was suddenly filled with flying laser discs being fired from each alien. Two hit Beast Boy in his tough-skinned side, and he changed quickly into a python and began sweeping his strong tail at all of the aliens legs, causing them to trip over each other. Robin picked up another gun and continued firing, each disc bouncing harmlessly off either the walls or the alien's armour. Only the boys' agility was keeping them from being swamped.

The changeling began to realise that because of his mindset, he was definitely in no condition to battle. He struggled to concentrate on aiding Robin along with dodging the flurry of laser bullets. Being the youngest of the group, Beast Boy still strained to sort through his emotions as well as the rest of the team, at least on Starfire's more sombre days. With yesterday's events still on his mind, he felt so confused that even his fighting skills seemed to fade away in his brain during the battle. He angrily fought against it. _Raven would say my chakras are confused or something._

Then something crazy happened – he transformed back to his human form, against his will. Time seemed to slow down, and Beast Boy stared at his hands in shock. This had only happened twice before: once after Terra had betrayed him and broken his heart…and the other soon after her ultimate sacrifice. His body and mind had been so racked with emotion and confusion that his powers had completely failed him, and he'd been unable to transform.

_Why does this bother me so much!?_

Several discs smacked into him and he flew across the room into the now-opened doorway. His pained cry was heard by Robin, who turned and saw his friend lying face down on the floor, eyes screwed shut. With a roar of anger, the Boy Wonder jumped and grabbed one of the hanging cables from the ceiling and yanked it from its staples. The aliens stopped a moment in surprise, and Robin used this second to swing the cable around in a wide arc and snap neatly around the closest bunch of Tellurians, forcing them to drop their weapons and keel over backwards into the rest of the crowd. He then turned on his heel, tore after Beast Boy and skidded to a halt behind the doorway.

His last sight of the furious guards were them advancing rapidly, before he punched the doorways keypad and the door hissed shut, leaving him and Beast Boy alone on the other side of the door.

Beast Boy stood up slowly, holding his head. Robin crouched and looked into the changelings face, seeing the expression was one of great pain. The younger boys teeth were gritted tightly. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned, all else fading from his mind.

"I…I…" Robin's obvious concern only made it worse. "I can't…morph."

The Boy Wonder blanched in shock. "But…that hasn't happened since-"

"_I know!"_ the changeling yelled back, still holding his head. "Let's just keep going."

"Oh, there's no need. You've arrived at your destination," murmured a voice nearby. It was faltering English in the raspy alien accent. The boys looked up to see even more aliens across the room, these ones in thicker, more colourful armour. Even more surprising was the rest of the room. It was circular and massive, containing dozens of water-filled tanks, each containing a human. The room was only lit by these tanks, making it seem eerie.

"You…!" Beast Boy cried. "What have you done to all these people!?"

"This ends now!" Robin dropped back into a fighting stance.

The centre alien with the most armour clicked his fingers and the boys were suddenly grabbed by several strong aliens that appeared from the shadows before they could even react. They were dragged to the centre of the room and set down in front of the apparent leader.

"What are you doing?!" Robin shouted angrily. "What is all of this? And why did you attack our Tower?"

"You humans have something we've never found anywhere else," answered the lieutenant. "And due to our law decreeing that we not subject your entire race to domination, we've settled for the population up here."

"But-"

"Silence!" The lieutenant slapped Robin hard in the face, the spines on his hand leaving cuts on the boy's cheek. "We only came for you because it was commanded. If we can, we'll find more humans like you – you who possess more of this power than any other, and more importantly the strength to contain that power. Even more than these people of the north, these people that live in this cold, barren land that the humans try to avoid."

"What power?" Beast Boy asked, still fighting back the emotional migraine. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, it's something that every living being has, but we had never realised it could be measured or contained. And yet here we are. So far, humans are the only creature we have discovered across the galaxy to possess this power in such a pure way that we could take advantage of it."

"What is it?" the boys cried simultaneously.

"Why," the lieutenant subtly checked the timer on his wrist. _"The Will to Live."_

The boys were silent for a moment as they looked at each other in utter bafflement, then turned back to the lieutenant, still held down by the strong aliens. "You…you're harvesting these people…of their _will to live?"_ Robin's voice was so full of disbelief that he was almost scoffing.

"Our technology far surpasses yours – we've just never had the chance to make use of it until now. You don't believe me?"

The boys were silent again, unsure how to respond. The lieutenant motioned for the other aliens to part from each other, and he followed gesturing to the pods behind him. "Try asking them if our technology works."

"NO!" the boys cried in unison again, filled with despair at the sight.

Raven, Cyborg and Starfire were all in their own pods, eyes closed, with tubes sticking out from their temples with what looked like remote sensors blinking on them. Their bodies hung limp, though aside from scratches and bruises, they appeared to be physically healthy.

"The beauty of this power," said the lieutenant. "Is that it slowly regenerates over time. It comes in small doses, but almost never seems to run out. You humans never seem to know when to give up. The great thing about you," here he gestured to Robin, Beast Boy and the rest of the team. "Is that along with your strong _will to live_, you have the _strength _to go with it, which makes you all the more powerful. Even this Tamaranean seems to have emulated this power from your race."

The restrained Titans could only look on in horror.

"Of course, some of these humans are just not providing us with what we need fast enough – and once we are through with them, their will to live is completely gone, with not enough time to regenerate. We just put them back outside to look after themselves until their lives have ended." The lieutenant checked the timer again. It was about time. "The best way to get the most power in a short amount of time is to threaten those who possess strength with death, and their will to live is all forced upward at once. Which brings us to your purpose here-

"But why?" Beast Boy couldn't see the connection. "I mean…what good does it do you? Taking all of this from people?"

"Power is power," said the lieutenant. "We use it to power our spacecraft weapons, specifically a new cannon that requires a enormous, _enormous_ amount of power. With your help, we can finally achieve enough power for one battery cell."

"With our help…?" Beast Boy looked at the tanks containing his friends fearfully.

"Yes, you've proved to the Commander that you both have the strongest will to live that we've ever come across. You've survived the wilderness, our soldiers and even each other. All of this will be useful after…" here, the lieutenant clicked his claws, and the boys cried out in pain as they felt catheters stabbed into their temples. "…you try to survive through real pain." The timer on the alien's wrist beeped once. His boss was ready. He took a pistol out of his belt and instantly fired at Beast Boy.

"Argh!" Beast Boy screamed in pain. Robin had pushed him, but the bullet – which was actually a small, lethal harpoon – had still pierced through the changeling's arm. The alien lieutenant swore in Tellurian and aimed again. This time Robin was ready and broke free of the aliens' grasp. He leapt at the leader in a rage.

_Bang!_ Robin felt the skin between his neck and shoulder slice apart as another harpoon was fired. He continued in his charge and swiped the pistol from the tall alien, firing it back into the owner's safely helmeted face. _Bang!_

The rest of the aliens attacked, and the boys went back into crowd-fighting mode. Beast Boy was far from able, but his animal instincts gave him the ability to continue even though his strength was at its end. As they fought, they felt their energy leaving them for no particular reason, and Robin realised they still had the tubes with remotes in their heads. He reached to Beast Boy in an attempt to yank them out, but was interrupted.

BOOOOM! A massive laser blast smashed into the ground between him and Beast Boy, obliterating the aliens in its path. They fell to the ground, covered in blood and groaning. Robin turned and looked straight up. On one of the upper circular walkways that went around the pods higher up was the largest Tellurian he had seen yet. It was holding a huge minigun-like cannon and wearing armour with dozens of dots of light - remote receptors?

Beast Boy, who was on the ground, ready to give up, stared upward too. The giant alien stared directly at him and said in a booming voice, "You, green one. You possess the desperate instincts of a thousand creatures, and yet you cower so. Your strength and substantial power have brought you this far and will bring me the energy I need to power the Grand Tellurian Arsenal!"

"No, I won't!" Beast Boy cried out weakly.

The Commander laughed throatily. "If you want to truly want to live, green one…you have no choice but to give me the power I need. The only way you cannot serve my purpose," he aimed the cannon straight at Beast Boy. "Is if you wish to die."

BOOOM! The giant laser came at the changeling, and he stared in horror as time slowed down. This was the end. He'd get no answers after all. He'd never hear the sound of his friends' voices anymore; never get to eat tofu pizza again. It was either die instantly, or die slowly from the wounds he'd receive. Even in his dying moments he would be serving the repulsive purpose of the Tellurians. In these milliseconds right now he was probably powering that armour the Commander was wearing. Powering his own imminent death.

He braced himself, unable to shut his eyes.

The pain never came.

In the slowed time of Beast Boy's animal senses, Beast Boy felt even more horror then he had imagined a millisecond before: Robin had jumped in front of him.

Beast Boy barely heard the frantic scream that escaped his lips.

"_ROBIN!"_

Xxxx

Unintentionally, BB seems to have become the damsel in distress a few times now. But remember Robin was the damsel in the start…and BB will start kicking ass now. Promise.


	16. Sacrifice

Robin's body smashed into Beast Boy's with such force that they both tumbled backwards through the air a few metres before hitting the floor and sliding further. Beast Boy barely felt the intense pain in his shoulder where the harpoon had stuck – his mind still reeling with the passing seconds of utter shock and despair. _No! No no no no no no!_

He pulled himself upright and turned Robin onto his back. When he saw the Boy Wonder's injuries he gaped in silence, unable to process what was happening. There was blood everywhere, and there were wisps of smoke rising from the fur he was wearing. Robin didn't say anything, his eyes were closed and his mouth hung open loosely. Beast Boy grabbed his hand and squeezed it in his own. Still, no words formed in his throat.

"Yes! _YES!"_ The booming, guttural voice of the Commander reverberated around the large room. Beast Boy tore his eyes from Robin and looked up. The armour on the giant alien was glowing brightly, and the cannon he was holding hummed rhythmically. The Commander's presence seemed to have grown tenfold. Even his body seemed to be growing, ever so slowly. "Give me all of your power! Struggle to survive!"

"Beast…Boy…" Robin murmured, eyes still closed. "The…tubes…"

Barely registering, Beast Boy ripped out the catheters that were still hanging from his head, and reached for Robins. "It won't matter now!" cried the Commander gleefully. "The entire room is afire with power now!" Beast Boy saw all of the pods beginning to light up; brightest of all were the three on the other side of the room – the ones containing the Titans. Everyone's eyes were opening now, and Beast Boy could see their expressions of shock and rage. It appeared though, that no one could move. Only their eyes rolled about and their mouths opened in silent screams. As the pods lit up brighter, so did the commander's armour.

The changeling's eye's widened further; all the aliens on the ground had begun standing up despite their injuries, which appeared to be magically healing before his very eyes. "W-w-w-" he stammered, still desperately trying to form a word in the chaos of his mind. What was going on? Was everyone's armour connected to the Commander? Was the room some sort of…giant remote?

"Beast…"

Beast Boy turned back to Robin and felt tears beginning to squash out of his eyes, hot and painful. "I…don't…" he squeaked. "Robin…"

"You have to…destroy his armour…" Robin gulped and spat out more blood. His eyes opened a little and he tried to take in the situation as best he could. "I think…that's the only way…"

Beast Boy looked back up. The crowd of aliens were all back on their feet, looking larger and tougher than ever. The Commander, far above, had reached mammoth proportions, and was laughing loudly. He turned back to his friend. "Robin, I c…I c…"

"You can do it…you have to."

The aliens began shuffling towards him. The Commander pulled a lever above him and the pods in the room glowed even brighter than before. The people in the pods began to convulse, their eyes showing the pain they felt, their mouths wide in shouts that couldn't be heard. Beast Boy saw Starfire's eyes squeezed tight in obvious agony, and he began to shake. He was no match for all these aliens. He couldn't save everyone. Not before the Tellurians took everything from them – took their will to survive away. There was no way…

"You have to save them." Robin's voice was soft, but didn't shake with fear like the changeling's.

"I can't do it without _you!"_ Beast Boy cried, tears now flowing freely. He hugged Robin close to him and pulled his leader's coat tighter over the massive wounds. Robin was so drenched in blood that the changeling couldn't even tell where he had been hit, or how exactly he'd been injured. Beast Boy cradled his head in his arms. "You were right about me. I make stupid choices. I can't even think for myself, not at a time like this!_ I need you!"_

Robin coughed up more blood and smiled at Beast Boy. "No," he croaked. "I was wrong. I just never gave you a chance."

"Robin…"

"The longer you stay here with me, the longer I will try to stay – which gives them more and more power."

"_Don't say stupid stuff like that!"_ Beast Boy shut his eyes tight; the tears were burning his eyes. "You can't, you can't! The will to live or whatever…it's all you have left."

"No, Beast Boy," Robin weakly grasped Beast Boys hand tighter. "I've got you. Why do you think I jumped in front of that laser?"

"I don't know! I thought I wasn't your teammate! I thought I wasn't even your friend!"

"Because you aren't."

"W-what?" Beast Boy's heart stopped. "I-"

"You aren't my friend. You aren't my teammate. Beast Boy, you're so much more than that." Robin closed his eyes again. "You're my _brother."_

"Your…b…b…" Beast Boy let out a strangled sob, and burst into faster, hotter tears.

"And the will to live isn't the only thing the humans have," Robin murmured. "We have something much more powerful."

"W-what's that?" Beast Boy gasped through his thick sobs.

"The will to _protect."_ Robin used the last of his strength to pull out one of his tubes and shoved it into Beast Boy's left temple, before he felt completely limp, and sighed softly, all his breath leaving him.

Before Beast Boy could let out another cry of despair, he felt a sudden surge of intense energy, rushing into him so fast and so strongly that he felt his body squeeze itself into a ball without him meaning to, as though trying to protect itself.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt it release, and he began to transform.

Xxxx

I wrote this while my parents were playing happy music very loudly, which made it very hard to make much of a poignant chapter, so I apologize for the crappy writing. This is coupled with the fact that I just want to finish. I'm pretty gutted that I can't do this story the justice I always wanted, but I suppose I could always rewrite it sometime. Thank you for reading! Perhaps next is last chapter, not sure. XD


	17. Brothers

At first he felt no control over it – his body was morphing in a way he couldn't understand. He felt the fur coats he'd been given by Kasha stretch and rip, leaving his green skin behind, which was growing long, thick fur. His feet expanded, breaking open his boots, into padded, furry feet with giant nails, which themselves began morphing into long, black claws. His muscles thickened into stronger, tougher ones, and he began feeling familiar with it – his man beast form! He was transforming without his command again. However, this time he could feel himself doing it; he was conscious and aware of the morphing without needing to be consumed by rage.

The aliens had stopped in their tracks, pausing to see what was happening in surprise. Beast Boy readied himself to attack, but to his surprise was still unable to control his body. He was completely in the form of the man beast now – but was still morphing! His muscles kept growing, and his claws and fangs kept extending. His fur grew even longer and he felt his bones harden into a density he'd never felt before. Lizard-like spines protruded from his back, ankles and wrists, and his head pounded as he felt massive horns grow out from his skull. What was happening?! Was there another alter-form that he still hadn't discovered?

A force in his abdomen suddenly wrenched him forward onto his giant, clawed hands, and with a jolt of pain he felt a massive monkey-like tail the size and strength of a crocodile's burst from the base of his spine. This addition very suddenly added balance and control to his body, and he flexed his new muscles, bewildered. His vision was enhanced amazingly; his hearing so boosted he barely even needed his eyes to see. He felt incredible, as though all of his animal forms had been combined into the perfect, upgraded version of his man beast form. A staggering amount of strength and energy was pounding through his veins, such as he'd never felt before in his life.

Several laser discs thudded into his thickly furred chest, and he barely felt them at all. It was as though the aliens had thrown cotton balls. Beast Boy looked down and saw Robin, lying in a pool of his own blood. _Robin did that for me_, Beast Boy thought. _He sacrificed himself to protect me._

And in turn, turned the aliens' power against them.

He looked toward the aliens now, who had stopped firing. He was much taller than them now; the size of his woolly mammoth form. They looked back up at him and began backing away slowly. He scowled and bared his fangs. Behind them, he could see the Titans' expressions of shock and amazement.

"Get him!" the Commander screamed from above, at the same time firing his massive laser cannon.

BOOOM! Beast Boy picked up Robin's body and jumped easily out of the way. His speed was on a whole new level! He felt no effort in dodging the thick laser blast. Beast Boy felt his energy rise up and take control, and he placed Robin carefully out of the way before turning back to the crowd of aliens.

"ROOOOAAAAARGHHH!" he howled, and leapt at them in a mix of rage and satisfaction. He had complete control. He had all of this strength and power and didn't need to pay the price by being put under by the 'beast within.' He squashed aliens underneath his enormous paws, simultaneously swinging his powerful tail around and sweeping the rest of the crowd easily off their taloned feet. They fell like bowling pins, no match for his beastly strength despite their powered armour. He leapt onto their fallen bodies, hearing them splutter as he crushed them. BOOOOM! Another laser blast shot his way, but Beast Boy moved out of the way before the human part of his brain even realised the cannon had been fired.

He stared upward at the heavily-armoured Commander. _He_ was behind all this.

Beast Boy leapt at the wall of pods, claws sinking into the glass and sending cracks throughout. Before they shattered, he'd already made another vertical leap, landing on even more pods. Chink-chink-_CRASH!_ The occupants of the bottom row blanched in terror as the glass burst outward and the water began gushing, forcing each occupant to be washed out of their pods onto the cold, concrete floor. Beast Boy jumped again and landed next to the Commander on the uppermost level, a circular walkway. The Commander screamed in Tellurian and aimed the cannon again, but Beast Boy was already in the air, swinging his gigantic monkey tail.

CRRRASH! As Beast Boy's tail wrapped around the giant Commander, he leapt again into space, dragging the alien across several shattering pods before they both plummeted back to the ground in the middle of the cavernous room. Before they hit the floor, Beast Boy turned in the air and swung his tail back down, doubling the momentum of the Commander's fall. CRUNCH! The giant alien crashed forcefully into the ground, smashing the concrete and several other aliens that had been lying there. Shards of cement flew in all directions.

The monster changeling turned to face the Commander, reeling in his tail with approval. He cheered inwardly as he saw the alien's armour spitting sparks and the lights on it flickering. _If that didn't destroy the armour, I don't know what will._ He could feel so much more strength and energy racing through him, urging him to decimate the aliens; pleading with his anger to destroy them all until there was nothing left. But he fought it back and found glorious satisfaction that he had the ability to consciously control so much power without blacking out in rage.

"ROOARRRGH!" He made a deafening roar, challenging the Commander to take him on again if he dared.

The largest alien began struggling out of the crater, pushing aside his subordinates. He stumbled onto flatter ground and dropped the huge cannon, looking back up at the huge, green creature. How had this happened? The final moments of the dying boy had strengthened him almost superfluously – the power had been larger than the capacity of all of the humans they'd previously drained. And yet the green one had plugged into barely a second of it before transforming into one of the strongest creatures he had ever seen in the galaxy, definitely stronger than anything else on Earth – _without any of the Tellurian armour or weapons._ But it still retained its human intelligence, working hand-in-hand with animal instincts.

"How," he gasped in English, staggering towards the beast, feeling his power begin to drain. A lot of humans had been 'unplugged' and his armour was heavily damaged. "Tell me how…I need that power…"

Beast Boy was disgusted. If it had been up to this Commander, he would have enslaved the entire population of Earth to get what he wanted. Even after an obvious defeat, he still wanted more. He growled loudly, hoping the sentiment would be obvious. Instead, the alien continued to hobble towards the changeling as his armour continued to spit sparks. Beast Boy raised one giant mitt to smash him one last time but-

POW! POW! Two starbolts crashed into the back of the Commander, causing him to fall onto his face and pieces of armour to burst off. Beast Boy looked up and was filled with joy at the sight of his friends, the Titans, stumbling out of their own pods now, completely free. They pulled the wretched tubes from their heads.

As Raven and Cyborg regained their senses from being in the breathable water, Starfire flew over and furiously threw a barrage of starbolts into the Commander's back, forcing him further into the concrete, creating another crater. "HOW DARE YOU!?" she screamed. "HOW DARE YOU!? HOW DARE YOU!?"

Beast Boy held out his enormous paw over the Commander's body, gesturing that she stop. The humans that were being freed kept their distance from Beast Boy, looking quite terrified of his monolithic form. He looked down at himself and willed the transformation to end; to change back into his human form. He half expected it not to work, but eventually he felt the energy drain slowly out of him, and his body began to shrink.

Once back in his human form, barely clothed by the furry rags that had been torn by his transformation, Starfire flew into his arms and sobbed happily. "Beast Boy! Oh, Beast Boy! Thank goodness you're okay! But-" then she suddenly seemed to remember what had happened. _"Robin!"_ Her attention was torn away from the changeling as she looked wildly around for Robin's body, which she had seen pulverized by the giant laser.

Beast Boy led her to Robin's body, and they knelt in silence, tears forming all over again. The Boy Wonder was still bleeding, though more slowly now, his eyes closed and body lifeless.

"Robin…" Starfire choked, picking up his body and cradling it. She looked at Beast Boy with fierce eyes, "We have to do something!"

"But what?" Beast Boy was stupefied. The joy of having his friends back was squashed beneath the realization of what had happened. "He's…he's…"

"Raven! RAVEN!" Starfire shrieked, her voice panicky. "Help! _HELP HIM!"_

Raven and Cyborg made their way over, while the other people who had freed themselves either comforted each other or helped others out of their pods. The two Titans' faces were contorted with shock and pain too. So much had happened in the last ten minutes that their minds were struggling to keep up, and now this…this was too much. Raven knelt with Starfire and Beast Boy and held her hands over Robin's body, closing her eyes.

"The wounds are so deep," she said softly, her usually toneless voice racked with emotion. "I don't think I can-"

"_You have to!"_ Beast Boy and Starfire yelled simultaneously.

"Just try!" Cyborg pleaded.

Raven's hands glowed as she passed them over Robin's severe injuries. The Titans held their breath, but the dark girl sighed sadly. "I'm sorry," she said. "There's nothing I can do." She seemed resigned, willing to give up at the sight of her dying leader. "His heartbeat is nearly gone. I can't fix wounds this serious."

Starfire wailed and buried her face in the remains of Robin's fur coat, sobbing and shaking. Cyborg and Raven only looked on in resignation and misery.

Beast Boy stared unseeingly, barely noticing the energy that had still not entirely dissipated. After everything that had happened – after everything he and Robin had gone through to come here, to beat the aliens at their own game…it couldn't be. Surely this wasn't the end? Surely it meant something…everything couldn't have been for nothing. It couldn't. _It can't._ He'd saved Robin from the merciless ocean and bloodthirsty wolves. Surely he could save him again now. He had to.

"_You're my brother_."

Robin's words stung him like a white-hot knife, filling his throat and eyes with heat and his heart with unexplainable pain. So, after all the time they'd spent together as Titans and comrades, after the time they'd spent alone in the freezing, ruthless wilderness…Robin had finally figured out what Beast Boy meant to him. And the more Beast Boy thought about it, the more he realised he felt exactly the same way. However they had started out, they were here now, and the godawful, painful journey they'd taken together had brought them closer than fighting together as Titans could have ever done. The kinship he now felt with Robin was not what he'd expected. He'd thought Robin could one day be like he was with Cyborg – harmless insults and friendly competition. But Robin really was different.

Beast Boy thought back to the times that he'd seen Robin show his care for the city, and the times he'd been worried sick over other members of the team. Robin had spent sleepless nights searching for answers and countless hours training to become stronger, faster and better. Robin wanted to protect everyone. Beast Boy understood now why the Boy Wonder was always so detached and seemingly unapproachable. The two boys were nearly polar opposites – one on constant alert and one off in the clouds.

_But he still called me his brother,_ Beast Boy thought, hope suddenly washing over him. _Even if he only realised that now, he has always, _always _wanted to protect me._ The changeling reached for one of the dropped pair of catheters_. And now, I can finally protect him._

Before any of the Titans could protest, Beast Boy repeated Robin's previous action and jabbed the alien technology into Robin's temple, simultaneously putting the other end in his own. The energy he still felt raced through the tube and into the Boy Wonder, and the changeling closed his eyes, hoping with all his heart. _I can protect you too._

The Titans stared in wonder as Robin's wounds began to slowly close up, and colour returned to their leader's cheeks. Just like the aliens who had been healed by the remotely transferred power previously, Robin was being cured by a combination of the alien technology and, apparently, Beast Boy's own will. Starfire gasped as Robin mumbled and moved a little. All four Titans held their breath, barely able to believe the miracle.

Robin gradually opened his eyes, and the first thing he looked at was Beast Boy's wide, hopeful eyes. To everyone's relief, he smiled, and said softly to Beast Boy,

"Thanks…bro."

Xxxx

Hahaha ohgodbadendings. But it's okay because it's an ending which means I don't have to feel bad anymore. Hooray! Thanks everyone for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I didn't. I'm joking…who doesn't love a good bromance. I love these guys. :)


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